


Come Out of Ashes

by kaebear89



Series: Come Out of Ashes: An Inuyasha AU [1]
Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Music, Alternate Universe - Rock Band, Angst and Tragedy, Classical Music, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual Sex, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Loss of Parent(s), Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-09
Updated: 2021-01-23
Packaged: 2021-03-13 09:09:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 22,557
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28651059
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaebear89/pseuds/kaebear89
Summary: Kagome had always pushed away opportunities for dates to prioritize her bright future as a classically trained singer and pianist. But her best friend, Sango, who plays in a band with her boyfriend and a couple of demons, gets Kagome swept up in a romance she couldn't have ever seen coming.Ch 1: "She'd certainly never seen a demon like him before."Rated M for now...
Relationships: Higurashi Kagome/InuYasha, Miroku/Sango (InuYasha)
Series: Come Out of Ashes: An Inuyasha AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2124141
Comments: 14
Kudos: 26





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> After the last few months of Quarantine, I've been throwing around a lot of creative ideas and projects that I've put off for a while due to just never having time to do them… but I do now!
> 
> This fic came from my late nights watching a lot of music theory YouTube videos, and really getting into some pop music that reminded me of InuYasha (especially having just rewatched it at the start of quarantine).
> 
> I'll be sure to list the songs used in the fic at the top of each chapter, so you can have them if you'd like to listen to them, especially if you'd like to listen to them as you read along.
> 
> In regards to character singing voices, I tried to pick singer who had a voice I was aiming for that matched the characters voice in my head, but song writing and themes are generally the overriding factor, so don't always use the song as a 1:1 of how the character "should" sound. Essentially, feel free to use your imagination and my descriptions of their voices to modify the sound as you read.
> 
> ALSO! By no means am I an expert in music theory, nor am I musically trained (other than when I was in school). A lot of what I'm gonna use in this story is my own interpretation of music and describing as best I can what is happening, but I can be totally wrong. Hopefully you guys will be able to understand what I'm trying to convey instead of being 100% technically correct.
> 
> Enjoy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have created a Spotify Playlist of the songs used, so you don't have to go hunting for them. The Playlist will be updated as the fic is updated, so there'll be no spoilers about what's coming down the road.
> 
> https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2S3rD9oErxdGswnm2b2Tc3?si=UVaTtjSsRn6VadQc986
> 
> Songs in this chapter in order of use:
> 
> (1) "Love Me Harder" – Ariana Grande and The Weeknd

Prologue

* * *

They'd finished for the day, everyone slowly gathering their instruments, music sheets, and belongings, heading back to their dorms for the night.

"Geez, I thought that session was never going to end," Ayumi complained as she put away her violin.

"You said it," Eri agreed as she tapped her sheets, placing them carefully in her folder.

"Really?" came a sweet voice. She had long midnight black hair, and deep blue eyes. She slid off her modest, but still stylish, over-sized knitted grey cardigan, taking it off to free her arms for movement while she practiced. She continued, sitting from her piano bench and looking at her friends, "I wished I'd had another 30 minutes to just practice the finale again."

Yuka clicked her tongue as she disassembled her flute, giving her a sideways glance, "Of course _you_ would, Kagome. You're such a perfectionist!"

Kagome looked at her friends, bewildered at their lack of energy, smiling as she spoke, "Come on, you guys! Aren't you excited? The final performances are almost a month away, and I wanna be sure the piece is as well-rehearsed as it can be."

The three girls giggled at her enthusiasm. It was infectious. Ayumi nodded as she picked up her violin case, "I guess you're right, Kagome. But maybe it's because you're composing _**and**_ performing in the finale. It's a great honor! But it's no wonder you wanna rehearse it for days on end. We still have a month to practice, so don't worry. It'll all be amazing!"

Kagome smiled nervously, "Thank Eri. Yeah, I was really intimidated by the responsibility, but the professors seemed to have confidence in me, and they've been a great help."

"You gonna stick around for a bit longer?" Ayumi asked as she and the other girls collected their things, noticing that Kagome hadn't grabbed her bag or any of her music to leave.

"Yeah, I'm just gonna go over the finale again, so I have it down," Kagome replied sweetly, "Besides, I'm waiting for a friend, and she's gonna meet me here in a bit."

"Alright," Yuka replied, "Just don't work yourself to the bone!"

Kagome giggled, "No worries. I won't be long."

"Have a good weekend, Kagome!" the girls waved as they left the hall, leaving Kagome alone to practice with her piano. It was hard to get time to practice with it. Unlike a violin, a flute, or a clarinet, like her friends had, she couldn't just pick up her instrument and bring it home to practice. And piano was her weaker instrument of the two.

As she placed her hands at the keys to start playing, she focused intently on the tuning to make sure she wasn't mishearing it earlier, but yeah, the piano was somehow out of tune ever so lightly. She couldn't quite tell with the rest of her classmates playing as well, so she had waited until she as alone to make sure she wasn't wrong.

She rose form the bench and tried her best to tune the massive grand piano on her own.

"Need some help?" she heard a calm and light voice ask.

Kagome turned and saw the brunette she was going to be performing with for vocal performances in the finals week, "Hey Hojo! Yeah, I could really use some help. Can you hit the B flat?"

"Sure thing, Higurashi," he replied politely as he strode over and hit the correct key she was looking for.

"Excellent, again?" He did as he was asked, and she carefully tuned the piano until it hit the resonance she was looking for, "Perfect! Thanks, Hojo."

"Not a problem. Staying late to practice?" he asked with a smile on his cute face.

"Yeah, I have a keyboard in my dorm, but it's just not the same as practicing on this guy in a hall," she replied happily as she positioned herself back on the bench.

"I won't keep you then. Enjoy your practice!" Hojo replied as he gave a polite wave to her and made his way to the exit.

Kagome thanked him before he left and proceeded to use the time to practice the piece she'd written for the final performance. It certainly wasn't a classical piece, but it was deeply personal and she was eager to hear it when it was being performed in the giant theatre a month from now. She was going to be performing it while she sang as well, and she was still nervous about doing both simultaneously in front of such a large crowd. In rehearsals was one thing, but in front of people, her originally composed work – basically her debut… yeah, she was definitely nervous.

She'd finished the song just as she heard the heavy soundproofing door swing open and heard the voice of her dear friend come in, "Hey, Kagome! You ready to go?"

She turned on her bench, and spotted her friend, her deep brunette hair in a high ponytail, swaying back and forth as she walked over to her, "Hey Sango! Yeah, just finishing up."

Sango grinned as she watched Kagome pack up her music sheets and equipment quickly, sliding back on her cardigan and bag as she asked, "You wanna get anything after the session today? Maybe we can go out for a few drinks, as an early birthday celebration?"

Kagome blushed, "Sango! I'm not 20! I can't drink yet!"

Sango laughed as she finished, "… yet. You're not 20 _yet_ …"

As she threw her bag over her shoulder, Kagome asked incredulously, "Won't I get in trouble? I can't show up at the dorm drunk!"

"No problem, you can stay at my place if you want, that way you won't have to worry about showing up hammered with your roommates," Sango replied happily.

Kagome sighed sarcastically, "You're a terrible influence, you know that?"

Sango giggled, "Blame Miroku. He's been having the worst influence on me since we started seeing each other last month."

As the pair of women made their way out of the conservatory building and heading towards the subway, Kagome pressed, "So, when _am_ I gonna meet this boyfriend of yours? I've still never even met him or the bandmates you play with. I feel like you're cheating on me with them."

"Well, if you come out with me tonight, maybe I can convince the guys to come with us and you can get a good look at who I've been spending all this time with," Sango answered, teasing her friend.

Kagome laughed, "Fine! I'll come out, but I'm not gonna drink!"

"Goody two-shoes, "Sango taunted as they made their way across the city.

* * *

Kagome was stunned at how inconspicuous the building was. You'd never guess from looking at it that it was an impressive record label's studio. The entrance was hidden around the back and was almost creepy, but kinda cool too. It felt like you had to be a who's who to know where to go to get in there.

Sango led the way as they easily swiped into the building and made their way down the various hallways of studio spaces. Kagome had never been in a studio space like this before. She was actually kind of shocked Sango invited her to come to watch a recording session.

Sango had been working as a session drummer for a while now, and she'd been headhunted by these new bandmates of hers about six months earlier, when they caught her drumming in a recording session with the producer they were both working with at the time. Apparently, they said they'd been looking for a new drummer to join their collective, as their last one left to pursue a career to become a lawyer. From what Sango was saying, their music was really interesting, and she enjoyed the laid-back nature of their playing style. They'd done a few gigs together so far, but it was all still relatively new and it gave Sango a side-project outside of working as a session drummer.

They'd stopped in front of "Studio Room 5" and Sango peered into the small window to make sure she wasn't interrupting a recording, "Good, it's just him."

"Him?" Kagome asked.

Sango turned the knob and entered the studio room, "Hey Kouga!"

'A demon!' Kagome thought to herself when she saw the man.

Demons certainly weren't uncommon; they were actually really common. But she hadn't met too many in her last few years at the conservatory. It was a mostly human institution, and she thought maybe it had to do with demons not being as interested in classical music.

The man who sat back lazily in the swivel chair by the board and had an expression of boredom, like he'd been waiting for an eternity for them to show up, "Sango! What the hell? You're 20 minutes late!"

"Sorry, I had to grab the friend I told you about," Sango replied as she put down her purse on the couch, gesturing back towards Kagome, who stood awkwardly in the doorway.

Kagome saw the man turn his attention towards her and his face instantly brightened up, "Ooh, so you're the singer Sango was telling me about!"

Kouga stood from his chair and approached Kagome smoothly, reaching out a hand. Kagome looked at his claws and back up to his pointed ears before smiling and taking his hand and replying sweetly, "Hi, I'm Kagome."

"Nice to meet ya, Kagome. I'm Kouga. Sango's told me you've got quite a set of pipes, just the kind I'm looking for for this demo," Kouga replied, keeping his hand firmly over hers.

"Demo?" Kagome asked as she looked over Kouga's shoulder to her friend, "Sango?"

She shrugged with a guilty face, "Kouga needed a singer who could hit the whistle notes. You're the only singer I know who can hit them! I thought it'd be a great opportunity for you meet some producers and get into the industry a bit."

"Ooh, so this was just a rouse to get me here?" Kagome asked coyly.

"No, I was genuinely asking if you wanted to come to watch my drumming session. It just kinda worked out is all," Sango replied as she grabbed her sticks, "Wanna get going, Kouga? We've got plans after this, and if you want to record her singing too, we'll need to work pretty fast."

Kouga laughed as he finally relinquished Kagome's smaller hand and moved back to the station, "Well good thing you're a quick player, Sango."

Sango smirked as she went for the booth door, she turned back and pointed to the couch, "You can make yourself comfortable there, Kagome. Feel free to steal any of the drinks in the fridge."

She closed the door behind her and saw the red light flick on to indicate that recording had begun. She sat quietly on the couch, watching as Sango situated herself at the drum kit in the back of the booth, making sure everything was tightened and tuned properly.

"We'll go from the top?" Sango asked.

Kagome watched as Kouga hit a microphone button to switch on his sound to Sango's headphones, "Yup, give it a go, and we'll refine from there."

She nodded, doing a quick roll across her kit to make sure he could hear everything alright. When he gave her the thumbs up, the music started, playing the other sections that already been recorded, including guitars, bass, and a keyboard, maybe even a saxophone in certain parts, but she couldn't quite tell. The song started very light and airy, but the bass had a distinct groove in that Sango's drumming helped to amplify and drove the song to a definitive climax as it went on. It was very RnB, which Kagome immediately loved.

She'd been trained mostly in classical music, but she had written her own music before – other than the composition she was writing for the finals performance. Lot of it was RnB in its vibe, and she was excited that this was the music Sango had recommended her for.

Sango's drumming was truly on another level. Kagome's definitely seen many drummers in her time in the conservatory and saw how intense they had it. It was vocation more than it was a skill; you had to be driven to do it. Sango, if nothing else, was definitely driven. There weren't many female drummers out there, but she'd easily made a name for herself as one of the best working session drummers in Tokyo at the moment. Kagome always enjoyed watching her go.

As the session finished, Sango returned to the main booth to hear the playback, taking a towel to her face, as she'd worked up a sweat. Heading to the mini-fridge, she grabbed a water for her and Kagome before sitting down on the couch beside her.

The trio listened to the rough composition, and Sango gave an approving nod as she spoke, "It sounds good, Kouga."

"Course it does! Like I'd let anything that sounds like shit leave this studio," he joked.

"This is just the rough version?" Kagome asked, already impressed with the mix.

"Yeah, I still have to get the demo vocal for the female part, and add any effects I need to it," Kouga explained, seeing how interested she was in this process. He grinned a wolfish-smirk as he asked, "So, you can hit whistle notes?"

Kagome nodded shyly, "Yeah, though I try not to rely on them too much."

His brow perked up as she replied, "How come?"

"I'm in school at the Music Conservatory of Tokyo; about to graduate. They don't really like too many vocal gymnastics, so I try to keep it simple, or at least, stick to the sheet music, "she explained, fiddling with the edge of her mid-thigh length skirt, feeling unsure if she was the best choice for this project.

She felt a comforting hand on her shoulder. She turned as saw Sango leaning back against the couch, reassuring her, "Well, you can do as many runs or vocal gymnastics you want here. Kouga doesn't mind a show-off," she teased.

Kagome turned back and felt a bit better, "You wouldn't mind if I tried some things out?"

Kouga smirked, "Try whatever you like. You're a trained singer, and you can hit the whistle notes, anything more than what I need is a bonus for me."

Kagome smiled as she stood up to move into the booth, "Alright, shall we then?"

She approached the microphone and music stand that had the sheet music with some notes already made on them. It looked like multiple people had already tried to have a go at it, as there was different writing on some notes compared to others.

She carefully grabbed the headphones from the stand and placed them over her ears. She was initially taken aback, by hearing her own voice in both ears, so she moved the right side off, so she could still hear her voice outside her own head.

She heard Kouga's voice come over the headphones, "You need to do some warm-ups, or you good to go?"

Kagome nodded, "I'm good. I've already been singing today."

"Alright, just remember, this is just a demo for the studio to shop around to some artists in their roster, so you're doing me the solid of just performing the music I've got. Go from the top, and we'll work our way through section by section. Sounds good?"

She gave a thumbs up to indicate she was good to go. Luckily she was a quick sight-reader, and the music wasn't as difficult as some of the challenges she'd had in school.

"Alright, come in on the 5th," it was the last thing she heard from him before she heard the music quietly come through. (1)

* * *

_Tell me something, I need to know  
Then take my breath and never let it go  
If you just let me invade your space  
I'll take the pleasure, take it with the pain_

_And if in the moment I bite my lip  
Baby, in that moment, you'll know this  
Is something bigger than us and beyond bliss  
Give me a reason to believe it_

_'Cause if you want to keep me, you gotta gotta gotta gotta got to love me harder  
And if you really need me, you gotta gotta gotta gotta gotta got to love me harder  
Love me, love me, love me  
Harder, harder, harder_

* * *

She heard the music cut out after the chorus, and wondered if maybe she'd done something wrong, "Sorry, can we do it again? I can do it better."

There was a moment of silence. She looked through the glass, and Kouga had turned back to Sango, who had a wide and proud grin across her face, saying something to each other that she couldn't hear. Wondering if maybe the mic from the booth was broken, she spoke again, "Kouga? Should we try again?"

Kagome saw him spin around quickly in his chair, realizing he'd left her hanging. He stumbled as he clicked on his mic, "Sorry… ugh… That was… That was perfect, Kagome."

She blinked, not realizing what he'd said, "Really? Are you sure? I can do it again if it wasn't good."

Kouga stammered, "Ugh… S-sure we can go again, but honestly… that was exactly what I had wanted."

She blushed, "Awesome! If you'd like, I can add some flourish to it."

"Go for it, whatever you think works," he replied, before counting her in again.

She sang the music with a breathiness that wasn't there in the first recording, and she thought it suited the lyrics much better. It was such a sensual song, and it wasn't mean to be sung so bluntly. It needed some nuance.

As she finished the first chorus, she finally got a listen of the second half of the song's vocals. Whoever it was, his voice was smooth, deep, but not too deep. It sounded a little gruff, but in an interesting way. She started to wonder who'd they'd gotten to sing the male part. She was really into his voice and thought it complimented the lyrics so well.

The vocals hadn't been in the rough version Kouga was listening to earlier, but Kagome figured they didn't really need to have vocals playback to record or assess the basic instrumentation for Sango's drumming.

As they continued, Kagome adjusted some of her vocalizations to counterbalance the other performer in the demo. Her voice got more airy and feathery as she went.

After about an hour of recording, Kouga felt they'd gotten what he was looking for and called her back over. As she came into the room, Kouga was beaming at her, amazed at her talent. He'd never had a singer just pick up exactly what he wanted from a song so quickly, not to mention she was able to make such refined adjustments that only made it more unique to her voice.

He finished quickly mixing her raw vocals into the track, adding just a bit a reverb to give the effect he was hoping for.

"Ready?" he asked her. She smiled and nodded eagerly.

They stood and listened to the track, and she was so happy with how her vocals came out, considering she'd only just heard the music that same day and had no rehearsals.

"This is really good," Sango said in awe at how good the rough mix came out.

"You can say that again," Kouga commented as he looked at Kagome, a look of appreciation crossing his face, " Thanks for loaning us your pipes. You've really saved my hide in getting this demo finished in time."

"Oh, don't worry about it!" Kagome waved off his thanks, "Thanks for letting me get some experience in the booth. I've never had this opportunity before, so I feel like I've learned a lot."

"Trust me, you're welcome to come by _whenever_ you like," Kouga said eagerly… almost too eagerly.

There was a beat of silence, and Sango quickly interjected, grabbing her things from the couch, "Well, we'll see you around Kouga. Kagome and I have some plans with the guys at a bar across town, so we gotta head out if we wanna get there soon."

"Seriously, Sango, I don't know how you put up with those guys, especially mutt-face," Kouga scoffed back.

Sango turned back as she slid on her jacket, "For one thing, they're much nicer than you give them credit for. And secondly, you know Inuyasha's talented, so don't deny it. Otherwise, you wouldn't keep working with him."

Kouga grunted in a disgusted tone, "Trust me, I'm painfully aware! It's the only reason I tolerate him. If the higher-ups didn't like his playing so much, I wouldn't keep hiring him."

Kagome looked back and forth between the two musicians, wondering who they were talking about, but she guessed she'd be meeting them soon enough.

"Anyways!" Sango redirected the conversation, "Let me know if you need any more drumming! You know where to find me! Come on, Kagome."

Sango walked past and out the studio door, but before Kagome could follow, Kouga stopped her, "Hang on."

"Yes?" she asked, adjusting her bag on her shoulder.

Kouga rubbed the back of his neck nervously, "Listen, you really did do me a huge favor by giving me vocals for this demo. Let me repay you some time. Maybe... I can take you out?"

Kagome blushed, 'Is he asking me out?'

Kagome had spent most of her teenage years so focused on her music studies that she'd never really had time to date. This was the first "real" time she was being asked out by a guy, especially so casually; like it was the easiest thing in the world.

"Ugh… me?" she stuttered.

"Well yeah. Who else?" he joked.

Kagome thought about it for a moment, carefully considering the offer.

She basically had a professional relationship with his guy now. For all she knew, he could hire her for work in future projects down the road. But that meant that a romantic relationship would be pretty messy. She wasn't really into the idea of mixing her personal life with her career, at least not right now. What if they dated and then broke up? It might really affect her ability to work in this industry if he had as much influence as Sango made it seem like he did. And she really enjoyed being able to come into the studio. He was definitely cute, as she'd never been bothered by demons before – if anything, she was pretty sure she was strongly attracted to demon guys – but she was going to play this as safely as she could for now.

"Sorry, Kouga. I'm really busy with some school stuff for the next little while. You know, graduating year and all. But maybe after then?" she said, making the excuse as realistic as possible.

Even if she wanted to go out with him, she was legitimately busy for the next month as she was preparing for her final performance.

Kouga took the rejection well, taking her hand in his, and saying, "I'll hold you to it, then."

Kagome smiled weakly before hearing Sango call her name down the hall, "Kagome! Come on! The guys are waiting!"

She turned to leave, "Sorry, gotta go! See ya later, Kouga!"

"See ya, Kagome!" he called back as she ran off.

Kagome quickly caught up with Sango and the pair of women made their way back to the subway station. Sango asked, "Sooo, what were you two talking about?"

Kagome blushed, "Huh? Nothing! Nothing at all!"

Sango smirked, "Liar. Let me guess, he asked you out, didn't he?"

Kagome blinked back at her, dumbfounded, "How did you know?"

Sango sighed as she adjusted her purse, "Kouga can be a bit of a creep. When we first met, he tried to ask me out, and only stopped when I threatened to throw his head through my kit. He's got some boundary issues, so be sure to keep your distance around him. As much as he gives us a lot of work, he's not exactly my favorite producer to work with."

Kagome listened intently, "Well, good thing I turned him down then."

"Oh thank god!" Sango replied, "I was going to say, I hoped you didn't accept his offer."

"Nah," Kagome giggled, "I told him I was going to be busy for the next little while, so I wouldn't have time for a date.

"Good. That guy doesn't really know how to read body language or social queues, so the more direct you can be with him, the easier time you'll have with him," Sango continued as they made their way down the stairs into the subway station.

"Good to know, "Kagome replied, "So, where's this bar we're going to?"

* * *

As the two entered the underground bar, Kagome realized that they weren't carding anyone who was going in, and it was very out of the way. Sango flashed a smile and a wave to the bouncer, who looked like he was a demon as well, indicating she knew him, "Hey, Jinenji! Are the guys here yet?"

The massive demon seemed very gentle as she smiled at Sango, and he had a very soft spoken voice as he replied, "Not yet."

Sango groaned but nodded, "Figures. Thanks!"

She walked by, and Kagome tentatively followed close behind, amazed she wasn't stopped by the huge bouncer. Clearly, Sango and these guys were well known here.

As they went down the flight of stairs into the darkened bar, neon signs lighting up the space, Kagome took in everything around her. She realized very quickly that she was definitely in the minority in this bar. Everywhere she looked, she saw more and more demons.

Sango kept moving and Kagome rushed to catch up, asking Sango, "So I take it you're friendly with a lot of demons?"

Sango laughed a little as she and Kagome took a seat at a table towards the back against a far wall. It was hard to hear anything in the middle of the room or by the bar, and Sango seemed to know exactly where the best spot in the place was, "You could say that. I've always found myself more at home around these guys than I do around other humans… oh, except for you and Miroku that is."

Kagome joined her at the table, setting her bag against the wall, "So I guess some of your bandmates are also demons?"

Sango nodded, before waving down a server, "Hey! Can we get two lagers?"

Kagome tried to stop her, but Sango was too fast, and the server was already heading back to the bar to get them their drinks, "Sango! I told you, I'm not drinking!"

"Oh come on, just one beer? We're celebrating!" Sango exclaimed as the server dropped off their beers.

"Celebrating…?" Kagome bemoaned.

"Well, okay, so it's not your birthday yet, but we can celebrate your first demo being cut!" Sango encouraged, handing Kagome the beer, "Besides, you're only a month away from turning 20. It's not like one month will make a difference."

Kagome took the beer, and sighed, "I guess it's a good enough reason to have just one."

"That's my girl!" Sango exclaimed as the pair cheered their pints and they each took a swig. Kagome initially coughed a little, not used to tasting alcohol, but she did enjoy the flavor, going for another sip to adjust her taste buds.

"So how much longer do we have to wait for them?" Kagome asked, "I thought you said they were here already? I'm excited to see the guy who's been such a terrible influence on you to peer-pressure your best friend into underage drinking."

Sango laughed, "Like you weren't curious to have some alcohol before you were legal."

"Oh, of course I was. I just don't want to get in trouble. You know me; straight laced and follows the rules," Kagome giggled, making fun of herself.

"Well, you get to enjoy a month of knowing that you broke the law once in your life. What a rebel," Sango said sarcastically as the pair laughed.

They waited for another five minutes for the guys to arrive, but there was still no sign of them.

Sango excused herself to the bathroom for the moment, and Kagome occupied herself, thinking about the proposed date Kouga had suggested before.

'I guess I kinda dodged a bullet there,' she thought to herself, thinking about how Sango had described her previous interaction with him, 'Besides, if Kouga's likely to hire me for more work, which it seems like he was eager to, I don't want that to be potentially ruined by any failed romantic feelings. It's better this way.'

Kagome was driven to make a career for herself in music, as she'd worked really hard for the last five years to get to where she was; top of her class, and with the best prospects of a bright future. She certainly wasn't going to have those prospects ruined by some guy.

'Maybe it's best if I just stay single until I get more established in my career,' she rationalized to herself, 'Doesn't seem like I've been missing out on much anyways.'

"'S'cuse me, do you know Sango?" a harsh, gruff voice asked from behind her.

She turned in her chair and stared back at the most beautiful eyes she'd ever seen in her life. Bright amber reflected back at her, and for a moment, she was left speechless. Long silver hair tied in a high ponytail, pure white dog ears that twitched, perched at the top of his head, and fangs that just barely poked out of his lip as he smirked down at her; she'd certainly never seen a demon like him before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hahaha, what a place to leave off for the prologue!
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this prologue, as this will likely be my baby for the next little while (other than "Toward Tomorrow" my other InuYasha fanfic). Definitely have it outlines for the next 5-6 chapters, and ideas for later down the road and ending, so stay tuned!
> 
> If you guys want more of this fic, please be sure to leave a review, or follow/favorite the story, as it's a great indicator/motivator for me to keep writing.
> 
> I can't wait to hear your thoughts!
> 
> Until Next Time…


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll be sure to list the songs used in the fic at the top of each chapter, so you can have them if you'd like to listen to them, especially if you'd like to listen to them as you read along.
> 
> Also! I have created a Spotify Playlist of the songs used, so you don't have to go hunting for them. The Playlist will be updated as the fic is updated, so there'll be no spoilers about what's coming down the road.
> 
> https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2S3rD9oErxdGswnm2b2Tc3?si=UVaTtjSsRn6VadQc986
> 
> Songs in this chapter in order of use, and placed in the story when to hit play:
> 
> (1) "Tearing Me Up" Live Version – Bob Moses
> 
> (2) "Can't Feel My Face" – Madilyn Bailey cover (original song by The Weeknd)

"Well, helloooo there miss! I don't believe we've met," a dark-haired man slid out from behind the handsome demon and casually sat down right next to Kagome, "My, you certainly are beautiful!"

Kagome's cheeks turned hot at the compliment, not sure how to handle it, "Uh… thanks…?"

"Miroku, you have a girlfriend, remember?"

Kagome looked up at the commenter, and spotted another demon joining the group. He was clearly younger than these two were, but probably closer to herself in age. He had reddish-brown hair in a short ponytail, and bright turquoise eyes. He certainly sounded younger than them at least.

"Oh, right. Where is my beloved Sango?" the dark-haired guy asked, looking back around the bar.

"Uh, she went to the restroom. She should be back soon," Kagome answered him.

"So you are her friend, Kagome, then!" Miroku chimed, gently taking her hand into his, "It's a pleasure! Sango's told us a lot about you. I'm Miroku, Sango's boyfriend."

She smiled awkwardly and gave a nervous laugh, "Nice to meet you too."

Her hand was quickly released, accompanied by Miroku's weak wails of pain as Sango had suddenly reappeared, holding him by his ear, before saying with a sweet, but warning tone, "Sorry Kagome, I forgot to warn you. Miroku has a hard time controlling himself around beautiful women."

Kagome smiled and giggled at their exchange as they bantered like an old married couple. It was kind of adorable. She soon realized that she was being stared at, as she noticed the silver-haired demon still looking at her.

She smiled up at him and stood, politely stretching her hand out to him, "You must be one of Sango's bandmates as well? It's nice to meet you. I'm Kagome."

He'd been shaken from his stupor and timidly took her hand, though he never stopped staring at her, "Yeah… nice to me you too. I'm Inuyasha."

Kagome could feel it getting a bit awkward and her flush refused to go away, 'Why is he staring at me like that?' It felt like he was analyzing her face, and it left her feeling like it was on fire.

Before she could think anything of it for long, the smaller demon reached over, slightly pushing Inuyasha out the way with his own hand and said, "Ignore him. He's kind of an idiot. I'm Shippo!"

Kagome took his hand and shook it, but it was shortly broken up by the guy that called himself Inuyasha turning and threatening to whack Shippo over the head, "I am _NOT_ an idiot!"

Shippo laughed as he ran to the opposite side of the table to get away from his friend, as they all settled into their chairs. Miroku and Sango sat beside one another at the head of the table and Shippo sat across from Kagome. Inuyasha took the seat next to her. Sango waved down the server to ask for more beers, and the group chatted like as if they'd never ended their previous conversation. Kagome watched as the four of them carried on casually, talking about things she had no idea about, mostly gig related stuff. Clearly, they were a tight knit group.

When it came time to order another round, Kagome politely declined. Miroku took the opportunity to ask her, "So Kagome, Sango tells us you're a student at the music conservatory. What's your focus?"

Kagome smiled as she answered politely, "Oh, I'm a soprano singer and a pianist."

Sango added, "You should hear her sing! It's really something to hear."

Kagome laughed nervously at the compliment.

Shippo said, "You should come back to the studio with us later. We usually go back and have some jam sessions after a few drinks, and we'd love to hear you sing."

"Oh, I dunno. I don't think I should stay out too late," Kagome replied shyly as the beers arrived at the table.

"Don't worry, Kagome. I'll make sure your back at the dorm before midnight," Sango replied reassuringly.

Kagome smiled, "Then sure. I'd love to!"

"You should've heard her when we went to the studio today," Sango relayed the events of earlier that evening when they cut the demo with Kouga, "Even Kouga was blown away by her voice, and you know how uptight he can be about that sort of thing. Everything must be _perfect_ for him."

"Oh, the demo we worked on? I'd be so interested to hear how that turned out," Miroku mused.

"With any luck, we might be seeing Kagome around the studio a bit more. Kouga seems to have taken a bit of a liking to her," Sango teased.

Kagome looked over with a bright flush in her cheeks, attempting to quickly dissuaded them, "It's not like that! It'd just a working relationship, nothing more!"

Sango giggled, "I'm just teasing, Kagome."

Kagome's blush soon receded, though she missed the sideways glance from the demon next her to her.

The group chatted a bit more, but when Sango, Miroku, and Shippo were caught up in a discussion Kagome couldn't quite follow, she peaked from the corner of her eye at Inuyasha next to her and asked awkwardly, "So… you're a demon?"

'Smooth, Kagome,' she mocked herself for asking such a stupid question.

Inuyasha tilted his head in her direction and gave her a sideways glance, "Half…" was his only response before raising his glass for another sip of his beer, leaning back in his chair.

Her eyes lit a little, curiosity overcoming her, "Really? You're a half-demon?"

"Got a problem with that?" he asked. It wasn't a hostile question, but he seemed defensive, like he'd expected her to be afraid of him.

Kagome shook her head, "Not at all. I was just wondering what your demon half was. I was looking at your ears and I was curious."

Inuyasha's ears twitched at the comment, and he seemed to relax a little at her answer, turning more towards her, "Oh, well, I'm half dog demon."

Kagome gave him an adorable smile that he couldn't help but feel in his gut, before she asked, "Can I touch 'em?"

"Huh?" he gave her an incredulous look before she pointed at his ears.

"I've never met a dog demon before… and they just look so soft," her request was so innocent.

He let out a half-chuckle, half-scoff as he answered, "Sure…"

Her smile grew as she reached up and gently rubbed the appendages, delighted when the twitched under her fingers, "Oooh! They're so cool!"

Inuyasha weakly smirked at her as she let go of them, "You must not encounter many demons."

She shook her head, "Unfortunately. The school I go to doesn't have too many demon students or teachers. It's not every day I see so many in one place."

"Feeling out of place then?" Inuyasha asked her, trying to egg her on.

"Not at all," she replied jovially. Inuyasha was genuinely taken aback by her response, "I always thought demons were so interesting. And besides, when it gets down to it, we're not so different, right?"

Inuyasha looked at her like she had grown two-heads. But a grin slowly crept onto his face.

Kagome wondered why he was so quiet, "Did I say something wrong?"

He shook his head and scoffed, "Stupid human, of course we're different."

"What you mean, ' _stupid'_?" she asked abruptly, her cheeks growing red, "You've got some attitude, pal!"

'What a creep! I'm trying to be nice to him, and he calls me stupid?!' Kagome thought to herself.

"Well its true, ain't it? Humans and demons aren't exactly built the same," he commented, taking another sip of his beer nonchalantly.

Kagome let out a frustrated sigh, not wanting to pick a fight with Sango's friend, 'Can't believe I thought this guy was attractive!'

She looked at him for a moment, trying to think of a comeback, but their silence was interrupted.

Shippo exclaimed, "Finish up, Inuyasha! Let's head back to the studio!"

Kagome looked down at her watch, and realized it had already been a few hours since they'd been there. She hadn't realized they'd been talking for so long. Inuyasha quickly finished the rest of his beer as the group collected their things and headed out to their practice studio.

As they approached the building, Kagome walked along side Sango and whispered, "Hey Sango, what's his deal?"

"Huh?" Sango replied, not knowing what Kagome meant.

"That Inuyasha guy. He seems to have a bit of chip on his shoulder, doesn't he?" Kagome commented.

"Oh Inuyasha? Yeah, he can be a bit a dick sometimes. But he plays a mean guitar, so we put up with him. Plus, he's actually more than that gruff exterior he puts on, once you get to know him a little," Sango replied, "Trust me, it's all an act. Inside, he's just a sweet little puppy."

"Who the hell you callin' a _puppy_ , Sango?" Inuyasha suddenly threatened as they entered the studio.

"Oh get off it! We all know it," Sango chided back, setting down her bag and removing her jacket.

Kagome walked in and immediately fell in love with the space. Rugs and blankets covered the floors and walls, soft couches lining the closet wall to the door, and all their gear set up just where they liked it. They even had a baby grand piano in one of the corners of the room, though it looked like it had seen better days. It felt so cozy and warm, like a fireplace in a den.

She timidly moved to the couch by the wall as the others settled in and pulled out their instruments or started turning on their equipment.

"This space is amazing!" Kagome commented aloud, looking around.

"Right? Miroku is friends with the owner, so he lets us use this as a permanent practice space," Sango replied.

"Well, 'friend' wouldn't exactly be the best word. More of a mentor," Miroku corrected, explaining to Kagome, "Mushin helped raise me when I was younger, after my father passed away, and got me into music."

Kagome stilled and said, "I'm so sorry."

"Don't be, it was a long time ago," Miroku said to pacify her, continuing on, "When he bought the building, he let me practice in here, and eventually, we all just started using the space for ourselves."

Kagome smiled at that.

Shippo had a whole set up in the far back corner that was pretty impressive. Couple of different style keyboards, some sound boards, and even some drum pads. Kagome commented, "That's some impressive gear, Shippo."

Shippo gave a short laugh, "Thanks! I've been collecting a lot of it for a while now."

"How long have you guys all been playing together?" Kagome asked as Sango settled behind her drum kit, doing a few rolls of her set.

"Well, Inuyasha and I have been playing together for… what is it, five years now?" Miroku contemplated, struggling to remember exactly how long it had been as he picked up his bass and adjusted the strap.

"Somethin' like that," Inuyasha answered coolly, sliding his electric guitar over his shoulder, shaking and adjusting his torso to let the guitar settle to its usual spot.

"And Shippo joined maybe a year and a half ago," Miroku finished, strumming a few bass lines to tune it.

"Yeah, 'cause these guys were absolutely hopeless without me," Shippo teased as Inuyasha lazily threw a pick at his head.

"You certainly seem like you have quite the dynamic," Kagome commented politely.

"If you mean they act like a bunch of rambunctious siblings, then yes, you're absolutely right," Sango chided as she looked over to her boyfriend with an exhausted look, "I don't know how I put up with them sometimes."

Kagome giggled as she leaned into the couch. She heard Inuyasha start to pick a few chords, just kind of improving. She watched as he sat back on a chair and strummed for a bit as the others finished setting up. He faced away from her and towards the others. It's like he was trying to ignore her.

He suddenly struck a chord, and the group went quiet **(1)**. A beat later, Sango's drum kit came alive as Miroku's bass set a slow but steady rhythm. The pair were certainly well suited for each other musically. They're beat never wavered from the other's pace; like they'd locked into each other like a metronome. Shippo played a two-note motif for the first few bars, but it grew as Inuyasha's guitar quietly made its own entrance.

Kagome watched as the group played the intro silently. It was definitely a more funk and rock flavor, and she couldn't help but sway with the rhythm.

It was when Inuyasha started singing that Kagome realized who he was.

* * *

_Let me tell you about a little situation  
It's been testing my patience  
Man, she was keeping me up all night  
'Cause you only get so far reading faces  
We were off to the races  
And I thought to myself "hold tight"  
You see there was just one complication  
She was already taken  
And what was so wrong felt so right  
She said "no need for looking over your shoulder  
When you could just come over  
And we can work this out just fine"_

_I don't know what you want from me  
So careless in my company  
Oh, if all that you say is true  
There'll be no getting over you  
So beat down playing by your rules  
If you're a joker then I'm a fool  
I guess there's no catching up to you_

_If you don't want my affection  
Don't lie, you're tearing me up  
'Cause you've got, all my attention  
I won't lie, you're tearing me up  
I'm trying to tell your intention  
When you lie, you're tearing me up  
If you don't want my affection  
You won't mind, you're tearing me up_

* * *

'He was the other singer!' Kagome realized. He was the counter singer in the demo she cut earlier with Sango and Kouga.

His voice hovered in a range that couldn't be considered super deep, but it was rough, and he could hit higher notes for those more emotional parts of the song.

'Maybe being half-demon gives him that range?' Kagome wondered. In the bridge, his voice sounded almost like a howl, 'Guess that makes sense.'

* * *

_It all started with a simple conversation  
It was on the weekend and she was talking me up all night  
Kept asking if I was only faking  
She was there for taking  
Showing me that she was all mine  
She told me she lived just around the corner  
I wanted to know her  
Yeah, she was making me lose my mind  
I didn't know quite what I was chasing  
She left my heart racing  
And all it took was just one night_

_I don't know what you want from me  
So careless in my company  
Oh, if all that you say is true  
There'll be no getting over you  
So beat down playing by your rules  
If you're a joker, then I'm a fool  
I guess there's no catching up to you_

_If you don't want my affection  
Don't lie, you're tearing me up  
'Cause you've got, all my attention  
I won't lie, you're tearing me up  
I'm trying to tell your intention  
When you lie, you're tearing me up  
If you don't want my affection  
You won't mind, you're tearing me up_

* * *

There was an interlude with Shippo's keyboard playing and Inuyasha's guitar. Sango hadn't been wrong about his guitar playing. Kagome didn't think she'd ever heard someone play like that before. It wasn't that it was terribly intricate or complex. But the mood… the emotion in it…

'It sounds… so sad' Kagome thought.

* * *

_I don't know what you want from me  
So careless in my company  
Oh, if all that you say is true  
There'll be no getting over you  
So beat down playing by your rules  
If you're a joker, then I'm a fool  
I guess there's no catching up to you_

_If you don't want my affection  
Don't lie, you're tearing me up  
'Cause you've got, all my attention  
I won't lie, you're tearing me up  
I'm trying to tell your intention  
When you lie, you're tearing me up  
If you don't want my affection  
You won't mind, you're tearing me up_

* * *

The song ended with a final strum as it echoed in her ears, though she hadn't even realized it was over.

"Wow…" was all she could say when the silence was too much for her to handle.

"Hm?" Inuyasha looked over his shoulder and saw her sitting up on the couch, her mouth slightly agape, "What's your problem?"

Kagome was shaken from her daze at his gruff tone, hiding her awe behind her hands, "Sorry, I just… it was really good."

Inuyasha didn't expect that answer and quickly turned away, "Feh, whatever…"

The awkward moment was broken when Shippo asked, "Hey Kagome, why don't you join in?"

"Huh?" she gasped.

"Yeah, what songs do you know? I'd be interested to hear you sing," Miroku asked before doing a quick lick on his bass.

"Uh… I mean…" Kagome wasn't sure how to answer as she desperately tried to run through her mental catalogue of music that they might know how to play.

"How about this?" Shippo asked as he played a melody that they all instantly recognized.

"Yes! I love that one!" Kagome cheered excitedly, standing from the couch and moving a bit closer to the group, adjusting her sweater as it slid down a bit over her shoulder.

She could hear Inuyasha adjust the reverb on his guitar. She didn't want to be caught staring, but she could swear that when she wasn't looking his way, she could feel his eyes on her again. Like they burned through her.

When she tempted to look his way, she was cut off by Shippo's count in.

"5, 6, 7…" **(2)**

* * *

_And I know she'll be the death of me, at least we'll both be numb  
And she'll always get the best of me, the worst is yet to come  
But at least we'll both be beautiful and stay forever young  
This I know, yeah I know_

_She told me, "Don't worry about it"  
She told me, "Don't worry no more"  
We both know we can't go without it  
She told me "You'll never be alone" oh oh oooh_

* * *

She heard Inuyasha pick at his guitar along with the long strums from Miroku's bass and Sango's light taps. They definitely knew how to groove together, that was for sure. She could feel herself moving instinctively with the vibe they generated, swaying ever so lightly and letting her head extend back as she opened up her vocal chords.

* * *

_I can't feel my face when I'm with you, but I love it, but I love it  
I can't feel my face when I'm with you, but I love it, but I love it_

_And I know she'll be the death of me, at least we'll both be numb  
And she'll always get the best of me, the worst is yet to come  
All the misery was necessary when we're deep in love  
Yeah I know, yeah, I know_

_She told me, "Don't worry about it"  
She told me, "Don't worry no more"  
We both know we can't go without it  
She told me "You'll never be alone" oh oh oooh_

_I can't feel my face when I'm with you, but I love it, but I love it  
I can't feel my face when I'm with you, but I love it, but I love it_

* * *

Kagome sang a few runs between the chorus and the bridge, hitting the whistle note, letting her eyes slide closed as she went for it. And there was that burning sensation again. Was he staring at her again? She'd never been so self-conscious singing before.

* * *

_I can't feel my face when I'm with you, but I love it, but I love it_

_She told me, "Don't worry about it"  
She told me, "Don't worry no more"  
We both know we can't go without it  
She told me "You'll never be alone" oh oh oooh_

_I can't feel my face when I'm with you…_

* * *

There was an echoing silence as she cut off the last few lines, and the rest of the guys let their last notes fade out.

"Wow, Sango was right," Shippo voiced aloud, "That's quite the voice you've got, Kagome!"

She blushed, "Oh, you're just being sweet. I've actually run myself a bit ragged today."

"If that's you ragged, I'd be interested to hear what you sound like at optimal performance," Miroku added to compliment, "That was fantastic!"

Kagome looked to the guys, unsure how to respond, just giving a light shrug of her shoulder. She'd always been given praise for her singing voice, so hearing it now wasn't a surprise. But she was always hesitant to accept the compliment, fearful that she may come off as egotistical or cocky.

From the corner of her eye, she dared to look toward Inuyasha, but he seemed indifferent towards her.

She politely thanked them, before Sango interrupted the awkward moment with a booming energy of her kit, setting another rhythm to play to.

They ended up jamming for a few hours, though Kagome sat out much of it, not wanting to strain her voice. If there's one thing they always taught her in school, it's that the voice needs to be cared for, just as you would any other instrument, and over time, it can degrade with overuse and improper technique. She could feel her voice getting strained and opted to just sit and listen in.

However, she did enjoy their playing so much. Being at the conservatory for so long, she hadn't heard much music like this, and they definitely had a specific sound. They all complimented each other so well in how they played, and it seemed like a lucky bit of fate they all ended up meeting each other.

As midnight approached, the guys eventually put away their gear, and Kagome thanked them for allowing her to join in.

"It was fun! I haven't been able to sit in on something like this before, so I'm glad you let me come," she explained as she threw her bag over her shoulder.

"Oh, of course! You're welcome to come by anytime, Kagome!" Shippo replied happily, with Sango and Miroku agreeing shortly after.

Kagome laughed sweetly, "Thanks! Anyways, I gotta get back. I'll see ya later, Sango!"

"See ya, Kagome," Sango replied before Kagome walked out of the studio.

Sango quietly turned and sent a look over towards Inuyasha once Kagome was out of the room. He was doing his best to ignore the look that he could almost painfully feel on his neck as he threw on his jacket.

"You know, you could try to be a little bit friendlier with her! You didn't even say bye," Sango scolded him, "I saw the way you kept looking over at her. I couldn't tell if you wanted to kiss her or kill her."

"Just leave me alone, would ya?" Inuyasha retorted, moving to leave the studio space. Sango stood in front of him in the doorway, blocking his path, and sending him an angry stare.

"Listen, I plan on inviting her out to more stuff like this and maybe a few of our shows, so I'd appreciate it if you could try and be a bit nicer to her," Sango explained, "She doesn't get out much, and I just want her to feel like she's welcome with us. Or is that too much to ask?"

Inuyasha's usual furrowed brow didn't really diminish at her request, but Sango could see his jaw flex as he considered it, "Fine, whatever… Can I leave now?"

Sango let out a frustrated sigh, moving to the side so Inuyasha could pass. He let out a quiet, but deep, "Night," as he shoved his hands into his pockets, turned the corner, and left.

"What's his deal? He's not usually in such a sour mood after these sessions," Shippo asked his friends.

Miroku approached Sango with her jacket in hand, offering it to her, "Sango, you said Kagome doesn't get out much? Why is that?"

Sango took the jacket from him and angrily shoved her arms into the sleeves as she replied," Kagome's isolated herself a lot since she was a teenager, and just focused on her schooling. She has some friends here and there, but she only really stayed focused on getting into the conservatory and practicing. Now that she's almost graduating, I figured it'd be nice to have her come out with us, actually see what it's like to be an adult with a social life."

Miroku pressed her, "Why was she so isolated?"

She thought for a second as she pulled her ponytail out from her collar, "It's not for me to say, but… she's kinda like us," Sango replied quietly, shifting her eyes up to Miroku "She's got her own family baggage, and who better to understand what she's going through than us?"

Miroku nodded, understanding what she meant.

"She just needs to get out a bit more, in small doses, and I was hoping that she'd feel comfortable with us," Sango continued.

Shippo approached quietly, "Well, we all liked her, so I hope she didn't think we didn't."

Sango let out a scoffing laugh, "Yeah, except for Inuyasha. He practically telegraphed how much he didn't like her. I wouldn't be surprised if she didn't want to come around again because of him."

Sango was clearly frustrated with her bandmate for acting so immature, "You guys may not have noticed, but he kept looking at her like he wanted to bite her head off. What is his problem? Why can't he just be nice for once? Kagome's a nice girl, and maybe if he could just get his head out of his ass every so often, he could see that!"

Miroku quietly placed a hand on her shoulder to calm her, "You know Inuyasha's got his own issues to work through, Sango. We can't expect him to be all happy and cheery. That's just not who he is."

"No, but he can definitely try to be a bit kinder to her. She's a nice girl, and maybe if he just noticed that, then he'd…" Sango paused when she realized what she was saying, "Forget it."

Miroku could sense her trepidation, "Then… maybe he'd finally be able to move on?"

Sango pursed her lips together, "I didn't say that."

"But you thought it," Miroku challenged, " And as well intentioned as I think that is, Inuyasha's had a rough go of things. To a certain extent, I can understand his hesitation to meet someone knew. Remember how he was when you first joined?"

Sango nodded, knowing Miroku was right.

Miroku continued, "We can't just expect him to move on from what happened just because we want him to," Miroku explained logically, "Something like that… it sticks with you. And if he does move on, it'll be in his own time."

"But it's been eight years since Kikyo…" Shippo interjected, though unable to complete the thought.

"I know, Shippo. But clearly, it affected him deeply, and he has to move on at his own pace," Miroku explained, "That's just the kind of guy he is. But... who knows, maybe he'll open up to Kagome over time."

Shippo and Sango both solemnly nodded.

"Well, either way, I look forward to having Kagome around a bit more. It'll be nice to have _someone_ with a bit more refined musical taste around here," Sango said jokingly, the tension of her frustration finally subsiding a bit.

"Ouch… I felt that," Miroku replied, pretending to be wounded as he moved his hand over his heart.

Sango laughed at his antics before she leaned up and gently gave him a peck on his lips.

Shippo just walked past the two, "Come on, lovebirds!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooh, it hurt to leave it off there. But I've got the next few chapter outlined, so I'll hopefully have the next one up soon.
> 
> Be sure to check out the Spotify playlist at the top of the chapter. It'll be updated just before the next chapter is released.
> 
> If you guys want more of this fic, please be sure to leave a review, or follow/favorite the story, as it's a great indicator/motivator for me to keep writing.
> 
> I can't wait to hear your thoughts!
> 
> Until Next Time…


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have created a Spotify Playlist of the songs used, so you don't have to go hunting for them. The Playlist will be updated as the fic is updated, so there'll be no spoilers about what's coming down the road.
> 
> https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2S3rD9oErxdGswnm2b2Tc3?si=UVaTtjSsRn6VadQc986
> 
>   
> Songs in this chapter in order of use, and placed in the story when to hit play:
> 
> (1) "Back Down" – Bob Moses

It felt like a broken promise from a lifetime ago. Promises of a life together that never came to fruition. Promises he'd made but realized, she never had an intention of holding him to.

It had been an eternity since he'd dreamed about her, which explained his current bout of insomnia. He'd dreamed she was there with him again, in his apartment, like nothing had changed. Like his entire world hadn't been utterly destroyed, leaving him to pick up the pieces… alone.

He questioned it at first, but at her sweet musings and calming reassurances, he soon gave in to the feeling of having her there again, in his arms. It was warm and soothing, sensations that had perpetually remained elusive to him. He remembered how he'd promised to fight for this, defend it, with every ounce of breath in his being. He wanted it to last for an eternity, the way they'd always said it would.

But that was before her visage grew hateful, spiteful. She asked him, " _Did you honestly think any woman could love a half-demon like you?_ "

The voice was full of vitriol and disgust as if it was the most ludicrous thing to imagine.

He could feel the cold hands of death on his neck, the feeling of suffocation, the sting of betrayal.

Inuyasha had woken up with a start, gasping for air he thought he was dying for lack of it. A cold sweat covered his face and body, nearly soaking his sheets. He ran his finger through his hair, frustrated. He rubbed the sleep from his face, pressing down on the inside corners of his eyes to help soothe the headache he could feel forming in his temples. When that did little to calm his racing mind, he threw off the sheets, unable to sit there anymore.

He grabbed his notebook that he usually kept by his bedside, just in case, there was a sudden burst of inspiration in the middle of the night, as he crossed his apartment towards the large windows that opened to a fire escape. Following the metal steps that lead up to the roof of the building, it was where he found himself now, staring up at the cloudy night sky, a cool breeze fanning his damp skin, wondering why after so long of attempting to block her from his mind, she suddenly reappeared with a vengeance.

'Why?' he wondered.

It had been a few years since he'd last dreamed of her, though he never truly stopped thinking of her. He thought he'd managed a pretty damn good job of trying to leave her behind and move on with his life, thinking that he'd finally freed himself from her haunting memory.

Images of her funeral, her heart-broken family, their last words to one another all came rushing back to him.

" _How could you possibly think anyone could love a half-demon like you?!_ " the words echoed in his mind, invoking that feeling of loss and betrayal once more.

But before he'd realized it, his mind flashed to the girl he'd met not even a few hours ago, whose sweet ocean blue eyes looked at him with interest and awe, instead of revulsion and pity as he was accustomed to.

'She looked so much like her,' he thought.

He'd dared to look at her, repeatedly, still not quite believing what he was seeing. He could tell he'd made her uncomfortable with his stares, but he needed to know if it was her. He just didn't trust his own eyes anymore. He realized he must've been losing his mind. That it just had to be his mind finally snapping, and imagining it was her, after so long of suppressing her presence in his soul. That his memory of her was finally erupting within him to the point of fracture.

'It couldn't have been her,' he came to terms with himself, knowing that he was seeing a phantom.

The only difference that made him understand that she was real were those deep blue eyes. Those were uniquely hers, and no memory could obscure them. They pierced through the mirage he thought he had conjured, and brought him firmly back to earth as he'd insulted her to try and get her to avoid his gaze, unable to handle her own stare. He realized shortly after it did little to dissuade her, and her eyes became fiery, eager to defend herself.

He then went out of his way to be cold towards her, unyielding to his friend's attempts to be welcoming and warm with her. They were right in calling him out for it, and he knew it wasn't her fault. It was his own fucked up mind that was to blame.

He sat there on the rooftop, scribbling in his notebook until the daylight of morning began to break over the distant horizon.

He sat back as the sky began to turn a pale blue, before a murmur escaped his lips, "Kikyo…"

* * *

"Have a great weekend, everyone! Please make sure to practice, as performance is only three weeks away. Also, if you still need to reserve seats for friends and family, you have until the 20th to reserve them before they open up to the public," the professor announced, the class barely hearing him over the clatter and white noise of instruments being dismantled and put away.

"Ayumi, you still have that date this weekend?" Eri had asked, Kagome barely registering the light conversation.

"Oh, yeah! We're going to see that new movie that just came out, so we'll see how it goes," her friend answered casually.

"How about you Kagome? Any plans for the weekend?" Yuka asked her, though Kagome wasn't really paying attention. After a few moments of pause, Yuka prodded her again, "Earth to Kagome, you there?"

Kagome shook her head, realizing they were asking her something "Huh? Sorry, Yuka. What'd you say?"

"Geez, you've really been out of it these last few days," her friend commented.

"Yeah, is something up?" Ayumi asked, the sound of concern evident in her tone.

"Oh no, I'm fine. Just getting a bit nervous about the performances I guess, "Kagome lied.

She had been spacing out lately, but it hadn't been because of the upcoming performance. It was a certain dog-eared musician that she had running in her mind for the last few days.

"I mean, that makes sense, "Eri affirmed, "You've got more riding on this than most other students, so it figures. But don't worry Kagome! You've been practicing so hard, there's no way you won't do amazingly!"

Kagome gave her friend an exacerbated expression before meekly replying, "Uh, thanks, guys."

"So, like I asked, you got any plans this weekend?" Yuka reiterated.

Kagome flatly responded, "Nah, I'm probably just going to practice, honestly," as she reached into her bag to place her sheet music. Kagome felt her phone vibrate next to her hand in the bag and reached to grab hold of it. She noticed it was a DM request from an account she didn't recognize.

She initially thought little of it, dropping her phone back into her bag before shouldering it to leave. She conversed politely with her friends for a short while longer before she headed back to her dorm room, dropping her bag onto her bed before leaving to shower.

As she returned with her towel wrapped around her, she reached for her phone again to check for any missed messages and noticed the notification again. Deciding she should check it out, she opened the app and tapped into her unread messages, seeing that first message from earlier. She clicked on it as she sat on her bed to read it.

: **Hey Kagome, it's Kouga!:**

'Interesting,' she thought to herself, as she continued to read on, wondering how he'd found her social media account since it was on private.

: **I realized I didn't get your number or anything to contact you, so I found you over social. Not tryin' to be a creeper, I promise.:**

'The intrigue grows,' Kagome giggled to herself.

: **I just wanted to reach out and ask if you were interested in being the main artist on the song we recorded a few days ago? The studio exec's loved your voice, and think you'd be a great fit for the song. Let me know what you think, and I hope to hear from you!:**

"What?!" Kagome shouted aloud as she reread the message, making sure she wasn't misreading it.

They wanted her as the main artist on the song?

Her heart began to race and her hands flailed, unable to control her excitement, dropping her phone onto the bed without warning.

"Ohmygod, ohmygod, ohmygod," she nearly hyperventilated, realizing she should probably respond to the message if she was actually hoping to take him up on this opportunity.

She nervously tapped out a response, her hands shaking as she did so.

: **Hey Kouga! No worries! My fault for not leaving my contact info with you.:**

She sent the first reply, giving a bit more thought as to how she wanted to respond to the second half.

: **I'd love to be on the song!:**

Better to keep things simple. It wasn't long before she saw _"Typing..."_ form under her last response, the sound of her message notification signaling his reply.

: **Great! I'll set something up in the next few weeks to lay down the final tracks.:**

Kagome was on cloud nine, unable to pause before sending, : **Thanks, Kouga! I owe you one!:**

She couldn't contain herself, she needed to tell someone. She switched apps on her phone to her texts and tapped away a message to Sango.

After a few moments and getting dressed, her phone began to ring.

Opening the call and switching it onto speaker mode, Kagome barely was able to greet her friend before Sango's excited voice crossed the line, "Are you serious?"

Kagome giggled at her friend's tone, "Right?! I thought the same thing! But yeah, he said they want me to be the main artist on the song!"

"Kagome, that's amazing! I'm so happy for you!" Sango replied with a positive tone, "Did he say when they'd scheduled the final tracks?"

"He'll reach out in the next few weeks to organize it," Kagome answered, grabbing her hairbrush to detangle her still-damp hair.

"Just remember what I said about him. If you're not interested in him, make sure you don't lead him on or make him think there's something there, 'cause he _will_ misread it," Sango warned, though it was a bit hard to hear, as she was clearly somewhere where the noise was disruptive in the background.

"Don't worry. I have no interest in him that way. Keeping things professional, that's all I want," Kagome assured her friend.

"Good! Speaking of being interested," Sango prompted, "Would you be interested in coming to a gig tomorrow night? We're playing in Akihabara, and I'd appreciate a friendly face in the crowd."

Kagome paused and thought about it for a moment, "I'm not sure. I was hoping to spend the weekend practicing for the performance."

"Oh come on!" Sango playfully chided, "You can practice all day before the gig, and all day Sunday. Besides, you need some downtime to properly rest. Don't want to wear out your voice, now do you?"

Kagome laughed, "No, definitely not. Then what would all this work be for?"

"Exactly! So, you're coming, right?" Sango led on, trying to encourage her friend.

Kagome paused again, hesitant when she thought of Sango's bandmate, Inuyasha, "Are you sure it's okay if I come? The guys won't mind?"

"What are you talking about? The guys love you," Sango tried to ease, "Is this because of Inuyasha?"

When Kagome didn't immediately reply, Sango took the silence as her answer, "Listen, I promise you, Inuyasha's not a bad guy. He's just a bit on the defensive side when meeting new people. I promise he'll warm up to you."

"You're sure he won't mind?" Kagome asked.

"I'm positive. And if he does, I'll just kick his ass out of the band, "Sango joked.

Kagome lightly giggled, "Isn't it his band?"

"Who cares? It'll be my band now!" Sango continued with the charade, hoping it made Kagome feel easier about coming, "I'd really appreciate it if you came, Kagome. Please?"

She thought for a moment, letting out a beleaguered sigh, "Alright, you twisted my arm."

"Great! I'll text you the address and when our set starts. Feel free to come anytime, and we'll go for a few drinks after," Sango elaborated.

A smile grew on Kagome's face as she heard the excitement in her friend's voice, "Sure thing, Sango! And thanks for inviting me. You know I have a hard time forcing myself to get out, so I'm glad you haven't given up on me."

"Not to worry, Kagome. I'll always be here to drag you out of your dorm for a night out, "Sango replied with a light tone, "Anyways, I've gotta go, but I'll see you tomorrow! Congrats again on getting the gig!"

"Thanks! See you tomorrow!" Kagome hung up her phone, sitting at her desk, and trying to ease the sudden nervous feeling in her stomach.

'I hope Inuyasha doesn't mind if I come,' she thought to herself.

When she thought back on a few days ago, when she first met all of Sango's bandmates, Inuyasha had definitely caught her eye. When she looked at him, he just… did something to her insides that she couldn't quite explain. She'd never felt that way about a guy before, especially after just meeting him.

But when his attitude came into play, she was immediately turned off by his demeanor, and his comment had been running through her mind for days after.

" _Stupid human, of course we're different."_

'What an arrogant prick!' she thought.

* * *

Kagome double-checked her phone to make sure she had the address right, as she looked back at the sign.

'This is it,' she acknowledged, as she approached the doors.

Kagome had never been to a show like this before, didn't really know what to expect when Sango invited her. After paying her entry fee, she walked down the staircase that was covered in stickers, ads, and posters, and lead into a dark and hazy club with quite a few people already filling the space. The bass vibrated through her as she descended into the hidden area. The main floor was probably the size of half a gymnasium, which to her, seemed impressive considering they were underground. It was slightly angled down towards the stage at the back end, allowing for a large crowd at every point to get a decent view. The ceiling was higher than she would have expected, again, considering the location. Neon signs and orange lights filtered her gaze as they danced in time with the current band's music. Intense shadows shifted and obscured her vision as people moved and danced, and made it hard to discern any individual from the mass of people.

'It's busier than I thought it'd be,' she noted mentally.

She made her way over to the bar and ordered a soda, before finding a small table off to the side of the main floor area, where people were listening to another band playing. The music was definitely lively and fun, something to groove and dance to easily, even if you couldn't dance. Her body just naturally wanted to sway with the rhythm.

Kagome sipped away on her soda before checking her phone for the time, wondering where Sango and the others were – since she was right on time for their set. She figured the sets were just running a bit behind schedule.

Once the current band finished their set, a DJ began playing more generic music and there was a lull in the crowd, with most people moving around to get drinks and find friends who'd come in during the set. Kagome definitely felt a bit like a fish out of water here, but she did enjoy the friendly atmosphere of the space. It felt warm, and she could feel herself needing to remove the long suede coat she was wearing. She shrugged the elegant garment off her shoulders to reveal the outfit she'd worn underneath, and it had gotten some immediate attention.

"You here alone, Higurashi?" came a familiar voice. Kagome looked up from her seat and saw her classmate, Hojo.

"Hojo! What're you doing here?" she asked, surprised to see him in a place like this.

He laughed politely, "I could ask you the same thing. Never expected to see the star of the conservatory at a club in Akihabara," Kagome smiled at the compliment before he continued, "Actually, I'm here to see the next band. I've been listening to their stuff for a while now, and I wanted to check out one of their gigs."

Kagome looked at him with surprise, "Really?"

"Yeah. I've been looking forward to this show all week," Hojo replied, "So you never answered my question. Are you here alone?"

Kagome nodded, inviting him to sit down at her small table, "Well, sort of. My best friend is in the band, and she invited me to come watch."

"Really?! That's so cool!" Hojo said excitedly, "Any chance I can meet them after the show?"

Kagome wondered if that would be okay. She was already here on a tentative invite from Sango, and she wasn't sure what the guys would think if she was introducing a fan to them as if she knew them well. She replied, "I can ask, but I'm not really friends with all of them, so…"

"I hear ya. No worries, Higurashi. Forget I even asked," Hojo interrupted but in a way to explain that he wasn't hurt by the answer. Kagome gave him a sweet smile, silently thanking him for his understanding. Hojo had always been an easygoing and considerate guy. Kagome remembered how he'd asked her out during their first year at the conservatory together, and though she wasn't against the idea in its inception, she just wanted to focus on her schooling at the time, and he was more than accepting of her explanation.

"So, you nervous about the performance in a few weeks?" Kagome asked to make polite small talk. She knew the answer already, as she had to practice extensively with Hojo for the performance, but she figured what's the harm in just chatting.

"You have no idea," he replied nervously, "I mean, it's already hard enough to perform in front of an audience that'll be as big as it will be, but to perform next to _you_ … I just hope I don't mess it all up."

Kagome blushed at the insinuation of her talent, "Well you've been doing wonderfully in the practices, and I couldn't ask for a better partner."

She could see the massive smile that crossed his face at that comment, and she nervously shrugged it off.

Before they knew it, the lights started to go dark, and the crowd seemed to return towards the stage in a wave. Kagome looked around before Hojo spoke, "Looks like their set's starting. Come on! We should get a spot close to the front."

Hojo took Kagome, gingerly, by her hand as she shouldered her bag and grabbed for her soda before being pulled into the packed audience. Hojo clearly knew how to get through these crowds efficiently, and before she knew it they were only a few people back from the stage with a clear view.

"I take it you come to concerts like this all the time?" Kagome asked him.

"Yeah, I like to see what's up and coming, and I prefer hearing music live when I can," he explained. Kagome nodded, showing she understood.

"So what is it about their music that you enjoy so much?" Kagome asked, genuinely curious about what he thought of their music.

"Hm… I'd say it's two-fold," he started, knowing he'd be able to hold a more in-depth conversation with her about this kind of thing than most other people. And Kagome knew first hand, if, given the chance, Hojo will speak his mind about the things he's passionate about, and at length, "Firstly is the tone of the music. It's hard to describe, some of their stuff is more rock and funk-influenced, but others are more dance and almost EDM. They almost defy genre, but if I had to nail down what it was it's like a trip-pop rock-funk? Does that make any sense?"

Kagome giggled and nodded, "I get that."

Hojo's smile lit up before continuing, "The second is the lyrics. I don't know which one of them does their song-writing, but I hope they're making good money and they're getting lots of work because I just… I can't remember the last time lyrics hit me in quite the way theirs do."

Hojo was clearly excited by their music, it was evident in the way he talked about it, "You sound like you're quite a Stan," Kagome joked.

He gave her a nervous laugh, embarrassed that he'd let his mouth run away from him like that, "Sorry, I guess I just get carried away by this kinda thing, ya know? I mean, it's why we went to music school in the first place."

Before she could press on with their conversation, the crowd started to cheer, even though it was still dark, you could tell the guys were making their way on stage. Hojo joined in the cheers, and Kagome could vaguely see the outlines of their profiles. Before she knew it, the deafening roar of the audience overwhelmed her as the first few notes began to be played by Shippo, and the lights exploded to life at the first intense line of the song **(1).**

* * *

_Caught in the tide of our own divide  
Our moment to make a stand  
We're all in the fight for a future bright  
It's burning inside our hands_

_Fell on a line on our own this time  
We failed the forgotten man_

_Your reality is our insanity  
Our humanity is tearing at the seams_

* * *

The room was vibrating with energy, the bass from the speakers shook Kagome to her core, in a good way. Everyone around her seemed to move in unison, understanding the fundamental rhythm of the song. Kagome was swept up in it, unable to hold back as she herself bobbed along, shifting her weight from one foot to the other.

* * *

_Ah, never going back, never going back now  
Ah, never gonna back, never gonna back down_

_Blinded by faith and devotion  
Shade the fire inside our hearts  
Ties that we've made have been broken by the  
Lies that pull us apart_

_Time that we take will be stolen from a  
Dream that was almost ours_

_Your reality is our insanity  
Our humanity is calling to be free_

_Ah, never going back, never going back now  
Ah, never gonna back, never gonna back down_

_Ah, never going back, never going back now  
Ah, never gonna back, never gonna back down_

* * *

Shippo was having a blast on stage and grooved to the beat that Sango was setting with her drums, a smile plastered on their faces and having the time of their lives. Miroku looked so calm and collected as he strummed on his bass, adding a tone to the song that made it feel despondent, yet invigorating. It was an interesting duality.

Inuyasha, Kagome could tell, was in his own world. The hair in his long ponytail swayed back and forth in time like a metronome as he expertly strummed his guitar. His eyes seemed to just stare through the audience, like they weren't even there; it looked like he was just zoned in on the music. While Shippo, Sango, and Miroku all had their own stage presence that was effervescent and engaged with the crowd, Inuyasha's seemed to be pensive and abstracted.

* * *

_You and I  
Turned away from the promise to try  
You and I  
Found our faith in the will of a lie  
You and I_

* * *

Kagome was so caught up in the show, her smile never leaving her features. But as she looked back and forth between the guys on stage, she swore she saw Inuyasha spot her, and she wasn't sure, but she thought she saw a small smirk cross on his lips before he turned back and started the final chorus. She could feel her cheeks grow warm.

'I must be imagining things,' she thought, suddenly unable to tear her eyes off his form.

* * *

_Ah, never going back, never going back now  
Ah, never gonna back, never gonna back down_

_Ah, never going back, never going back now  
Ah, never gonna back, never gonna back down_

* * *

They didn't pause long once the first song ended, with Shippo easily gliding them into their next song.

By the end of the set, Hojo was asking her if she had a good time, and Kagome knew she definitely wanted to come out to more of these shows. It was one thing to hear them play in a jam session at a studio, it was another thing entirely to experience it played in a live show. She was hooked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit of a shorter chapter, but I've got the next few outlines, so I'm hoping to have them written over the next few weeks.
> 
> Let me know if you enjoyed that by favoring or following the story, and be sure to leave a review! I really appreciate any and all constructive comments.
> 
> Until Next Time…


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have created a Spotify Playlist of the songs used, so you don't have to go hunting for them. The Playlist will be updated as the fic is updated, so there'll be no spoilers about what's coming down the road.

"Kagome!"

She turned at the sound of her name, her expression immediately brightening seeing Sango and the others approach her and Hojo in the emptying club, "Sango!"

"Soo? What'd you think?" Sango asked.

"That was such a great show! You guys were amazing! I'm so glad you convinced me to come out!" Kagome eagerly replied before she caught Inuyasha's golden-eyed stare again. She felt her cheeks grow hot, thinking he'd be upset to see her there, but his expression was a lot softer than it had been before. His stare seemed more appreciative than hostile.

Kagome meekly turned away from his gaze, realizing Hojo was still beside her, anxiously, but excitedly, looking at the bandmates in front of them. "Oh! I'm so sorry! This is Hojo, a classmate of mine from the conservatory."

Hojo gave a polite but stiff bow to them, "It's a pleasure to meet you! I've been listening to your music for a while now, and I'm a big fan!"

Kagome gently patted his back, lightly laughing while saying he didn't need to be so formal. Sango, Miroku, and Shippo courteously thanked him for coming to see the show, though Inuyasha remained aloof and uninterested in the small talk.

"Did you two come together?" Miroku asked none too subtly, implying Kagome brought Hojo as a date.

"Oh! No, it was just a coincidence," Kagome quickly corrected, waving a hand to brush it off.

"Ah, well, Hojo, if you'd like to join us, we're heading to a bar not too far from here," Miroku said warmly.

"R-Really? You'd let me come with you?" he stammered meekly.

"Sure! That is, if you're alright with it, Kagome?" Sango asked, giving her friend a look saying 'say yes!'

Kagome gave a nervous laugh, "Of course! Why would I mind?"

"You guys go on ahead," cut in Inuyasha's gruffer voice, "I'll meet up with you in a bit. Just gonna load the gear, so I don't have to worry about it later."

"Sounds good! You know where to find us," Shippo replied before Inuyasha turned headed back to the backstage area of the club.

As the group stepped out into the cool evening above ground, Kagome shivered, "Oh, I forgot my coat! You guys head on over, I'll be there in a bit."

"You sure, Higurashi? I can come with you," Hojo offered.

"Don't worry, I remember where I left it. It'll just take a sec," she replied with a wave as she disappeared back down the stairs.

The club was nearly empty, save for a few staff members who were cleaning up and a few stragglers. She approached the table that she used when she first arrived, she found her coat to be missing from the chair she'd left it on, "What the…? Someone stole my coat?!"

She heaved a heavy sigh, frustrated with her predicament, "That coat was expensive too…"

"Lookin' for somethin'?" she heard a somewhat smug sounding voice come from behind her. She turned, shocked to see Inuyasha standing there with her coat in his hand, reaching out to offer it back to her.

"Uh… thanks," she said softly, gently taking the suede garment from him.

"Figured it was yours. It had your scent all over it," he said with a bit of a smirk.

Kagome blushed, "My scent?"

"Dog-demon, remember?" he replied, lightly tapping the side of his nose, "After you guys left, I could still smell something of yours here, and found the coat just sittin' there," he explained, "Figured I'd bring it back to you when I came over to the bar."

"Oh," she breathed out before smiling, "I was worried someone had snatched it up. Thanks for grabbing it."

She almost missed the hint of red that appeared on his cheeks as he weakly mumbled," Don't worry about it," before he turned to finish packing up their gear.

She didn't know why – maybe it was because he'd been thoughtful enough to grab her coat – but she asked, "Do you need any help?" Kagome offered, "Packing up, I mean."

Inuyasha quickly shook his head, "It's alright. You go on ahead with the others, I'll catch up soon."

"You sure? I don't mind," Kagome offered again.

Inuyasha turned towards her and he could feel part of the air in his lungs escape when he caught a look in her deep blue eyes. It was warm and honest.

He turned away bashfully, "Well… yeah, sure, if you want."

Kagome smiled before putting down her things to help him. He quietly directed her to the cases that held his and Miroku's instruments, and where to take them. She helped carry them outside and loaded them into his truck, secretly impressed at Inuyasha's strength, seeing him carry multiple heavy amps in one go. She knew how heavy those were, and to see him carry a bunch without breaking a sweat… 'He must be super-strong.'

Kagome caught herself staring at his arms that were hidden under the off-white Henley shirt he wore, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. The shirt wasn't super tight to his form, but she could only imagine what his muscles looked like beyond that fabric.

'What am I thinking?!' she shook herself from her stupor, trying to hide the embarrassed blush that crept back onto her cheeks, 'What's wrong with me? I've never been this guy-crazy before…'

"Thanks for coming to the show… by the way," Inuyasha said passively, breaking her from her thoughts.

"Sorry?" she asked nervously, unsure she heard him right.

Inuyasha pushed the last of the equipment onto the truck bed before latching it up to secure it, before repeating, "I said, thanks for coming out tonight. We don't get a lot of friendly faces coming out these days."

"Didn't think you considered me a friendly face, based on when we last met," Kagome joked, unsure where this sudden nicety was coming from. It seemed totally disconnected from the personality she'd meet previously. It was like the guy in front of her was the nice twin of the guy she met a few days prior.

"I can take back the thanks... if you'd prefer," he snidely responded.

'There he is,' Kagome laughed to herself.

Before she could respond with her own clap back, he continued, "Honestly, I know Sango was really looking forward to you coming tonight. Just thought… you're a good friend to support her like that. It can hard to perform without someone you know there to cheer you on."

Kagome bashfully tried to brush it off, "It's nothing, really. I know she'd do the same for me. Besides," she paused for a second, wanting to lighten the somber tone," You're not too bad a singer."

"Keh, that supposed to be a compliment?" he teased, " 'Cause you suck at it."

"Hey!" Kagome jabbed, "Who's the professional musician here?"

"Technically, me," Inuyasha chided back, opening the door to head back inside, allowing Kagome to walk through first.

As they rounded the corner to the stairs landing, Inuyasha paused, causing Kagome to turn back to look up at him from a few steps down and ask, "What's wrong?"

"Listen…" he started, his head lowered before tilting up to look at her blinking and confused blue eyes. He took a breath before saying, "I want to apologize for how I acted the last time we all hung out. I was being a dick, and it had nothing to do with you, so… maybe we can start over?"

Kagome was taken aback, and nervously asked, "Did… did Sango say something to you?"

Inuyasha's ears flipped up at that, "I mean, she chewed me out for being an asshole after you left the studio, but…nothin' after that. Why?"

"Oh, don't worry about it!" she quickly brushed it off, a delicate smile on her lips.

Inuyasha blinked at the whiplash, "Really? That's it?"

"Yeah!" Kagome approached him and extended her hand, "Let's just… start over... like you said! Okay?"

Inuyasha gave her a dubious look at first but soon smirked at the open gesture, tentatively taking her hand in his, his eyes flickering back up to hers. Her smile was radiant, and he swore he could hear her heart rate increase, though it may have been his imagination.

"Deal," he replied confidently, giving her hand a gentle but firm squeeze.

Kagome could feel the intensity of his gaze again, a sensation she'd grown keenly aware of, except now, it only existed as sparks of electricity between them. She slowly released her grip on his hand, turning to continue down the stairs.

"So how did you and Sango meet anyways?" she heard him ask from behind her.

"Oh!" Kagome mouthed, "She... never told you guys?"

Inuyasha shrugged his shoulders as he slid his jacket onto his shoulders, careful to pull his long hair out of the collar," What? Is it some kind of big secret, or somethin'?"

Kagome blushed as she pulled on her long suede coat, "I mean… no, not really."

Inuyasha could hear the tension in her response, "Don't worry, forget I asked."

Kagome looked up at him, silently thanking him with a gentle smile on her lips, before cheerily changing the subject, "I have a question for you, though."

"What's that?"

"How come you guys don't have like a record deal or something?" She asked politely, "Your music is great, and I can't imagine it would've been hard for you to get a contract," Kagome explained.

Inuyasha's ears twitched excitedly at her compliment, before trying to smoothly answer, "Uh… well, it's not like it wasn't offered."

The pair walked up the stairs and out into the main street, strolling towards the bar they were to meet the others at shortly.

Kagome pressed, her curiosity clear in her voice, "Really? So… why didn't you take it?"

Inuyasha pushed his hands into his pockets as he kind of shrugged, keeping his eyes forward, not tempting to look her way, "Just never seemed like a priority. We all like being independent and setting our own hours and schedules. We all work as session musicians, and that's kind of enough for us. We can release whatever music we want online, make some extra cash with side gigs, and we never have to answer to anyone about what we put out there, or when, or how."

"But what about the fame and riches?" Kagome asked almost jokingly, but still honestly, "You could make so much money from your music."

"I make enough," Inuyasha replied nonchalantly.

She smiled in a teasing way, "Not your cup of tea then?"

She could see him peer at her from the corner of her eye, but kept her gaze forward, "Fame is never something I really cared about, and money doesn't change anything. I have what I need, that's all that matters," he said thoughtfully, "I get to play what I want, and that's all that mattered to me."

Kagome kind of liked that, the simplicity of it. He clearly wasn't a complicated guy when it came to music. He knew what he was about, and wasn't willing to compromise for it. She kind of… admired that.

"I wish I had that stuff figured out," Kagome said quietly, earning another peek from Inuyasha.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"I've never really known what I want to do with my music. I just… kinda always knew I was good at it, but… I didn't have much in terms of direction for where I wanted to go with it, so I just kind of did whatever made sense to make sure that if I pursued it in any meaningful way, I'd have the best chance of being a success, "she explained.

"What, like you were pressured into going to music school?" Inuyasha pressed.

"No, I was the one who wanted to go. But… sometimes I wonder after I graduate, what am I going to do with it...? What the point of it all is…? You know?" she answered before turning towards him and giving a small laugh, "Sorry, I don't know if I'm making any sense."

Inuyasha's face softened, "You're still young, and you're figuring out your voice. It takes time. So… don't beat yourself up for not knowing where you wanna take this right now."

Kagome smiled up at him, enjoying the moment, "Thanks… sometimes it's nice to be reminded of that."

When they arrived, Kagome could see that Hojo had been talking all their ears off.

"Oh, there you are!" she heard Hojo say as she and Inuyasha joined them at the table, "I was getting worried that you'd gotten lost!"

Kagome smiled politely and explained what had happened, occasionally exchanging glances with Inuyasha.

"So, Inuyasha, the others were telling me that you're the person responsible for the songwriting?" Hojo said in a probing tone, "I was just wondering where you learned to write like that?"

Kagome peered over at Inuyasha, genuinely interested in his answer. She'd been so curious since Hojo had brought it up at the club, who the songwriter was for their lyrics, and she was honestly surprised to find out it was him.

Inuyasha merely shrugged lifting his pint to his lips, answered in a fairly casual tone, "How does anyone learn anything? Practice."

Hojo laughed, "Well, yes, of course. But I was saying to Kagome earlier how I'd never heard lyrics that quite hit the way yours do. I was just curious if there was some kind of methodology for your writing."

Inuyasha put his glass down, lightly shaking his head, "I dunno what to tell ya, kid. I write what makes sense to me at the moment. Best answer I can come up with is keep a notebook by your bed, 'cause I almost always get the ideas after waking up in the middle of the night."

Hojo nodded eagerly, listening attentively, "I'll have to give that a try!"

The night pressed on uneventfully, with Hojo being his overly eager self. At around 1 am, the bar was starting to close up, and the group soon began to part ways. Sango hugged Kagome, thanking her again for coming out, and left with Miroku. Shippo organized something to pick up some equipment from Inuyasha over the next day or two before he too took his leave.

"Higurashi, do you want me to walk you home?" Hojo offered.

"Don't worry about me, Hojo," Kagome waved off, "You're all the way on the other end of the city. You won't get home until almost dawn if you walk me."

"Are you sure? I'd hate to think you were walking around at this time of night all alone," he replied, pushing the subject.

"I'll take her home," Inuyasha interjected. Kagome turned abruptly to see him approaching them, "I've gotta go get my truck anyways from the club. I can drive."

"That's not necessary, "Kagome replied.

"I'd appreciate it," Hojo answered as if he didn't even hear her.

"Huh?" Kagome spun back to face Hojo.

"Alright, you have a good night, Higurashi! I had a great time, and I hope we can hang out more often, you know... after we graduate?" there was a tone in his voice, that seemed expectant.

Kagome felt her heart race at being put on the spot, especially with Inuyasha standing right behind her, "Um… yeah, sure. It'd be nice to hang out more once we've finished our finals performance."

"Great! Well, you both have a good night!" Hojo called as he turned to leave for the subway. Kagome stood there somewhat dumbfounded, nervous to turn around.

Eventually, she didn't have to, as Inuyasha walked by, and said, "Well, let's get going if you wanna get home at a decent hour."

"Hey! I never agreed to you giving me a ride," she retorted.

Inuyasha paused mid-stride, turning back to her, casually stating, "I have to go past the conservatory to go the studio and drop our gear off anyways. It's no big deal. I can take you."

Kagome's initial hesitation soon melted away at his explanation, and replied, "Really? You don't mind?"

He smirked at her, and she felt like her heart skipped a beat at the sight, "If I did, I wouldn't have offered. Besides, we're starting over, right?"

Kagome smiled appreciatively, 'This guy… I can't figure him out.'

"Come on!" he continued before resuming his step, leaving Kagome rushing to catch up with him.

When they got back to the club, Inuyasha helped her get into the truck, as it was quite high off the ground, and she wasn't exactly wearing the most appropriate footwear to climb up the massive vehicle. He opened the door, and offered her a hand.

"What a gentleman," she joked, taking his hand in hers. His hands were calloused and rough, but they were also warm. She was kind of amazed; seeing his claws, and the strength with which he'd lifted the equipment earlier, she assumed his grip would be harder. Rougher. But he was… surprisingly gentle.

"Don't tell anyone. It'll ruin my reputation, "he replied in the same tone as he easily lifted her up into the truck, and she seated herself gracefully. Her legs folding neatly to the side as she got in, and she gave him a grateful nod.

After securing the gear, Inuyasha slid into the driver's seat easily and the truck roared to life. He pulled out of the alleyway, and asked, "So, remind me how to get there?"

Kagome giggled, "I thought you knew where the conservatory was…"

Inuyasha smirked, "I do… Just wanted to make sure I had my directions right."

Placating him, Kagome instructed him where to turn and for a bit, they shared a companionable silence.

As they reached an intersection and waited for the light to change, Kagome broke the silence and asked, "So… what else do you do other than music?"

"Small talk?" he asked incredulously.

"No, I… Just curious, is all," she replied, a mild flush crossing her cheeks.

Inuyasha smirked, "I actually have another job."

"Three jobs?!" Kagome almost exclaimed, "How do you have the energy?"

Inuyasha turned and gave her a look, "Part demon, remember?"

Kagome mouthed an 'oh' as he continued, "I work with a blacksmith. He looked out for me when I was younger, and gave me a job straight outta school as a kind of favor to my dad."

"That's nice of him. I take it you're a blacksmith too?" Kagome questioned.

"Yup."

"I, honestly, didn't even know blacksmiths still existed. I thought it was something that died out with the Industrial Revolution," she giggled, admitting her lack of knowledge on the subject.

"You'd be surprised how many people still use them. There's not many of us, but there's always a demand for the craft," he expanded, casually discussing it as he resumed driving, "I work enough to pay for the space above his shop, so I live somewhat rent-free, and it gives me the flexibility I need to still do the music stuff."

"That's quite the favor. Is your father also a blacksmith?"

Inuyasha hesitated in his answer, "He _wasn't_ , no…"

Kagome inferred from his tone, and the use of past-tense, what the situation, "Oh... I'm so sorry. I didn't mean…"

"Don't worry. It's fine, "he smirked to reassure her, "He died when I was really young. If I didn't have the photos, I'd probably have forgotten what he looked like a long time ago."

Kagome grew quiet.

Sensing her sudden discomfort, Inuyasha rushed to speak, "Honestly, it's okay. It happened a long time ago."

"We don't have to talk about it," she interjected quickly, but demurely.

Inuyasha gave her a quick look and saw the suddenly melancholy and somber look on her face. After a few quiet moments, he resumed, "So, you were saying to that Hobo guy that you've got a performance coming up?"

Kagome giggled at the insulting nickname for her classmate before nodding, "His name is Hojo. And yeah, it's part of our finals. They usually have a lot of industry people there, as a sort of audition for the students, and it's how a lot of us get work after we graduate."

"Sounds intimidating," Inuyasha posited.

"Heh, it is," Kagome agreed, "I've been practicing like crazy because I'm so nervous. Sango had to practically beg me to come out tonight because I was going to just practice more."

"Don't stress yourself over it," Inuyasha said calmly.

Kagome smiled, "Got any advice for me? You perform a lot."

He let out a contented sigh, thinking it over, "Well, I'm sure you've heard the one about imagining the audience in their underwear, but trust me, that doesn't help."

Kagome let out a full laugh. His ears flickered towards her, enjoying the sound of her laugh and pleased that he'd been able to cheer her up a little.

"Okay, well, what then?" she asked in a jovial tone.

"Lots of water, lots of rest, and…" he paused for a moment, "Just do it like it's last time you'll ever be able to. You never know when it'll be the last time you can. Just… make sure it's a performance you'll be proud of."

That piece of advice gave Kagome a moment of pause as she turned to look his way. A soft smile grew on her lips as her eyes softened, "Thanks. I think that's exactly what I needed to hear."

Inuyasha gave her a quick sideways glance and smirk before Kagome faced forward again, the conservatory coming into view.

Inuyasha pulled over, turning off the engine and getting out.

Kagome tried to stop him, "It's okay, I can get out myself."

He was already outside her door and opening it before she could finish the thought. He again offered his hand, and Kagome, eager to feel his skin against hers again, took hold of it and eased herself onto the sidewalk.

The touch between their hands lingered for a moment longer than would have been considered appropriate, and Kagome could feel that electricity from before again, radiating between them as his eyes remained fixed on hers, shifting from one to the next and back. She quietly spoke, "Thank you… for taking me home."

"Don't worry about it," Inuyasha tried to play it off casually as he slowly disconnected from her grip, immediately missing the feeling, before saying, "Thanks again… for coming out tonight."

Kagome averted her eyes downward to hide the flush that rose, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. Inuyasha followed the motion, wishing he'd reached out to brush her hair aside, wondering how it would feel against his fingers.

She was pondering something, unsure if she should even ask. But she was feeling unusually brave, "Listen… I was going to ask Sango if she wanted to come to my performance. If you're interested, as a fellow musician… and since we're starting over…" she tried to excuse her reasoning, but she went for it, "I wouldn't be opposed if you and the others came as well."

Inuyasha's ears swiveled, unsure if he heard her properly, "Really? You'd want us to come?"

Slightly embarrassed, she tempted looking up at him as she explained, "I mean, I came to your show… right? It's only fair. Friends support their friends."

The way her eyes looked at him through her lashes, he was powerless to resist, "I'll ask the guys for you, but I'm sure they'd love to come. I know I'm down."

Her smile grew inexplicably at his answer, and he'd temporarily forgotten what words were, "Great! I'll grab the tickets then," she replied, unsure how to say goodbye, "Well, I guess I'll see you later then?"

Inuyasha was brought back to earth for a moment, nodding his head, "Yeah… Have a good night."

She smiled again, "You too," before turning slowly away from him and walking up the stairs to the main entrance of the building, disappearing behind the glass doors.

Inuyasha was rooted to the spot for a good few minutes, even after she'd faded from his view. He slowly closed the truck door, leaning against it, unsure of what just happened. He hadn't felt this way around anyone in so long, it felt so foreign to him, yet all too familiar. For some reason, just being around her… she brought out something in him he hadn't exposed to anyone since…

He quickly tried to shake it off as he got back into the driver's seat and turned the key, though his mind never stopped racing or thinking of the ocean blue eyes that had just entranced him all evening. Ever since he spotted her in the audience, watching them perform. She'd had his unconditional attention.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, a bit of a shorter chapter, but more is coming soon.
> 
> Let me know if you enjoyed that by favoring or following the story, and be sure to leave a review! I really appreciate any and all constructive comments.
> 
> Until Next Time…


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have created a Spotify Playlist of the songs used, so you don't have to go hunting for them. The Playlist will be updated as the fic is updated, so there'll be no spoilers about what's coming down the road.
> 
> https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2S3rD9oErxdGswnm2b2Tc3?si=UVaTtjSsRn6VadQc986
> 
> Songs in this chapter in order of use, and placed in the story when to hit play:
> 
> (1) "Enough to Believe – Eagles & Butterflies Remix" – Bob Moses

"Okay, I've gotta go, Mom! I'm meeting up with some friends soon and I don't wanna be late," Kagome started as she tried to end the phone call with her mother over speakerphone, finishing off her hair as she checked in the mirror to make sure she looked good to go.

"Alright, dear. You have fun with your friends. Oh, I'm so glad you're getting out more these days," her mother said back, inadvertently extending the call.

"You can thank Sango for that. She's been really helping me get out more. I don't know what I'd do without her," Kagome replied, grabbing her hairbrush and detangling the few knots she had.

"I know this has been hard on you and Souta, but I'm so happy you have friends who are really supporting you. This isn't easy for anyone to go through," came the soothing tone of her mom's reply. Her mother always did have a way of calming her down when she felt anxious.

"Do you think… Dad's gonna be able to come to the performance? It's only two weeks away," Kagome asked, her attention refocusing on the call.

"We'll have to see how he's doing, dear. He has been in higher spirits lately. Let's hope he's doing well by then," Mama Higurashi, ever the realist.

"Right…" Kagome said in a slightly despondent voice, understanding what her mother was alluding to, "Well, either way, I'll be sure to come by the hospital this weekend regardless. It'll be nice to see everyone before I start the last week of rehearsals."

"Alright! Don't let me keep you any longer. You have fun with your friends, and we'll see you this weekend!" her mom replied, her jovial tone brightening Kagome's demeanor instantly.

"Thanks, Mom. Give my best to Souta, Dad, and Gramps. I'll see ya later!"

Kagome ended the phone call before taking a final look at herself in the mirror. She'd put a little more effort into her appearance today. Nothing too extreme, after all, she was just going to hang out with Sango and the others at the studio. But today, she'd tossed aside her loose sweaters and comfortable leggings in favor of dark blue skinny jeans and a white fitted long-sleeve ribbed shirt that showed off more of her curves than she was used to, though she probably showed less skin. But somehow, she almost felt more exposed than if she was showing her legs like she usually did with her casual skirts.

'Is it too much?' she wondered to herself, looking at the light foundation and mascara she'd put on, the hint of tinted lip balm coloring her lips a medium shade of peach, and the smallest touch of bronzer to make it look like she hadn't been locked up in her dorm for the last two years.

By any normal standards, Kagome would be considered a natural beauty, but today, for some reason, she felt like she needed to put in a bit more effort, a ritual she wasn't terribly familiar with. As a teenager, she'd spent more time practicing her music than worrying about makeup and boys. It was all she'd ever focused on. Until now, clothes were a necessity, not a fashion statement. Makeup just hadn't been that important. The only thing that mattered… was practicing.

But she was about to turn twenty soon, and she was going to be graduating, top of her class, from one of the most prestigious music conservatories in the country. She couldn't keep hiding under oversized clothes, unkempt hair, and no effort in her appearance. She wanted to look more professional and put together like she knew what she was doing.

What's the saying? 'Fake it 'til you make it,' she told herself.

After smoothing out one last hair, she affirmed that this was fine, and she just needed to be confident. She grabbed her suede coat and purse before heading out to meet Sango and the guys at the studio, refusing to give it another thought.

* * *

Kagome tentatively knocked on the studio room door as she poked her head in and softly let out a greeting, hoping she wasn't disturbing them while they were practicing.

"Oh, Kagome!" Sango replied happily, excited to see her friend, "Come on in. We were just trying to figure out how to structure a new song."

"Yeah, and Inuyasha's being an idiot," Shippo chided the half-demon.

"It's too damn slow! I know I have a tendency to sound morose, but this is just pretentious!" Inuyasha criticized back, too temperamental to take immediate notice of the visitor in the room.

"Oh, so you're only just realizing how pretentious you sound?" Miroku joked.

"Whatever…" Inuyasha scoffed as he turned his head away from his bandmates, spotting Kagome by the couch as she took off her suede coat, revealing her near skin-tight, but refined, attire. Until then, he'd only really seen her in baggy sweaters, maybe a skirt that showed some of her legs, but seeing her form, with every curve and shape… Inuyasha's jaw would have gone slack had Sango not started up her drum kit with a rhythm that was maybe 10 beats per minute faster than earlier.

"How about this then?" she asked.

Shaken from the distraction that was Kagome's figure, he retorted, "It's still too slow. It just needs…" Inuyasha struggled to figure out what he was trying to explain, sighing in frustration, "I dunno…it needs more momentum."

"But if we go any faster, it doesn't make much sense with the tone of your lyrics," Shippo replied, leaning over his keyboard.

Kagome stepped forward, approaching from the side, seeing the papers scattered in front of Inuyasha, clearly scribbles he'd written down from various times, all patchworked into a song.

Inuyasha ran his hands through his fringe. As much of a good songwriter as he was, he wasn't exactly the most musically literate. He didn't always know how to communicate the idea he was thinking of without playing it himself, but he was having a hard time getting his bandmates to understand what he was trying to explain.

"Is this the song?" Kagome asked as she knelt down, looking at the papers in more detail, picking up a few scraps.

"Huh…? Uh, yeah," he replied, eyeing her as she held the papers.

She stood from her spot on the floor, two papers in her hands, and asked him, "Do you mind if I try something?"

His brow knotted for a moment before saying, "Sure, why not?"

Kagome smiled, making his insides suddenly feel like jelly, before she asked, "Can you play the chords at the tempo you want?"

"Sure," he replied, adjusting the guitar on his shoulder. He played two bars of the chords at a tempo that was definitely faster than what Sango had played a minute ago.

" 'Kay, and do you have a melody in mind?" she asked.

Inuyasha thought for a moment before quickly singing the two bars of the chorus.

He could see the wheels turning as she listened to him intently, her hand tapping against her other arm in time with his singing.

"Hmm, okay," she said abruptly, before sitting down at the baby grand piano, picking up a pen that was there, and writing a few bars of notes on the backs of some of the scraps of paper.

A few moments later, she handed a piece to Inuyasha to look at, her expression eager to see his reaction, "How about this?"

He looked at the paper, and mentally played the chords and his face seemed very interested, "Can't hurt to try it out."

Kagome clapped her hands together, "Alright!"

She proceeded to instruct each of them on their starting points with a general gist, "After a certain point you'll have to kind of improvise, but it'll be interesting to see what happens. This is how I and some of my classmates would compose pieces for workshops. We'd set up challenges for each other, and see who could come up with the best piece."

Sango, Miroku, and Shippo were all game to give it a try, as they'd never really written music this way before.

Sango started with the rhythm Kagome set, though soon Kagome felt there was a certain sound missing. She turned and asked, "Hey, Sango. Do you have a drum pad I can use?"

Sango nodded, pulling it out from a bag, and set it up next to her kit. After a few seconds of playing around with the setting and sound, Kagome found one she liked and asked Sango to adjust with the new drum pad. It gave the rhythm an echo and weight to it that had been missing from earlier.

"Awesome!" Kagome exclaimed, hearing just the effect she'd wanted. She turned back to Inuyasha and said, "Then once Miroku's bass comes in, it'll add the forward momentum I think you're looking for."

He smirked at her, arching a brow as he replied, "Let's hope it works."

Kagome turned back and nodded to Sango with a smile to start again (1).

As the drums built-up tension, Kagome started to bob along, listening to ensure it was the effect she had in mind.

She turned to Shippo, telling him when to come in. The eerie sound on the keyboard that she'd picked for him added just the right sound that made the song feel haunting.

Again, with tension building in the song, Kagome instructed Miroku to come in with his bass, playing the chords Inuyasha had played earlier. There was an immediate groove that was built into the structure.

Hearing the first few bars, Inuyasha watched as Kagome excitedly listened to his bandmates bring together the sounds she'd conjured in her mind, oblivious to his attention. He smiled inwardly. She definitely had a knack for production.

He turned to his mic set that he'd programmed for the session, and adjusted the reverb, switching it on, and positioned it accordingly before he started the verse.

* * *

_Wondering where to begin  
Loneliness rising again  
All I know isn't right for me now  
Oh, I've nowhere to turn_

_Heaven isn't holding my hand  
Hoping I can make it to the end  
I wasn't looking for a phantom or a friend  
Tryna find an answer in the wind  
I keep feeling like I'm rushing to the end  
Looking for a good place to begin  
But will I ever know, I'll never know_

* * *

There was an echo of the reverb from the end of the chorus he sang, a silence overtaking them for a moment, broken only by Sango excitedly spinning her drumsticks and chiming, "Whoooo! Let's kick this up a notch!"

"Yeah!" Shippo agreed as he began to improvise some while Sango resumed her rhythm.

"Kagome, come on!" Sango cried loudly, getting Kagome's attention, as she pointed to the keyboard setup next to Shippo, "Join in!"

Kagome smiled, the others encouraging her as well to join in the improvisation. She quickly ran behind Shippo to the second set up beside him, which had a similar setting to her keyboard in her dorm room. She quickly picked a sample sound she thought might work well, nodding that she was good. Shippo stopped at the end of the bar to allow her to come in.

Kagome proceeded to play a penetrating and fast section of progressing notes, that somehow managed to make the rhythm feel like it was going a mile a minute. She gleefully bounced along behind the keyboard, her head bobbing forward and back to maintain the speedy rhythm.

Sango and Miroku let out a rousing holler, Shippo watching intently as her hands seemed to move faster than he was capable of perceiving.

Inuyasha just watched, seeing her unbridled joy and passion for this. It was… refreshing, to see someone who so clearly just had music in them that needed to come out.

* * *

_All I want is enough to believe  
But they said there was no guarantee  
All I knew is you're here for me now  
I look up at the stars_

_But heaven isn't holding my hand  
Hoping I can make it to the end  
Feeling like I'm living in my head  
I wasn't looking for a phantom or a friend  
I keep feeling like I'm rushing to the end  
Tryna find a good place to begin  
I keep hoping for an answer in the wind  
I wasn't looking for a phantom or a friend  
But will I ever know, I'll never know_

_Tryna find a good place to begin  
But will I ever know, I'll never know_

* * *

Miroku finished the chorus with a last lick of his bass, before Sango and Shippo came back in with renewed vigor.

The room pulsated with verve. It was warm. Electric. Kagome would've been happy to just stay there forever and bask in it, but Shippo nudged her to once again join them.

She smiled and turned back to her keyboard, changing a couple of settings.

There was a lull in Shippo's playing where she started to modulate the same keys she played before, but slower, and in a different sample sound, shifting the sound across the right and left sides, to make it sound almost dizzying, but in a good way.

Shippo eagerly went along with the sound and the two brought up their playing to a crescendo that brought silence once again to the room with the constant rhythm that was Miroku's bass.

Miroku sent Inuyasha a sideways look, joking, "You just gonna sit there, or would you like to join the rest of us in the fun?"

They started again, Inuyasha shaking from his lull as he had just been enjoying the rhythm, realizing he hadn't even touched his guitar since they'd started.

He gripped the neck and started playing, improvising a little before making his way into the chord that Kagome had played earlier, realizing it was a good progression to use.

Kagome recognized it, looking over her shoulder to see Inuyasha, his eyes slid closed, listening only to the sounds of his guitar and the rhythm. There was a calm about it, that somehow managed to bring the studio back to a place of steadiness, only moving forward with the relentless beat of Sango and Miroku's playing.

Slowly, there began to emerge musical resolutions, and Kagome turned back to the keyboard, playing her modulated chord again, Miroku and Inuyasha's playing fading away.

Sango, only tapping a few more bars of intermittent thuds, similar to a heartbeat, to keep the rhythm going, as Kagome finalized and resolved the song on her board.

There were a few beats of silence before Inuyasha said in a mocking serious tone, "I think we can work with it."

"You're damn right!" Sango shouted cheerfully, "Kagome, can you just be our producer from now on?"

Kagome smiled embarrassingly before replying, "I mean, you guys did improvise a lot and made it your own. I just gave you a rhythm that worked for what you needed."

Miroku slipped off his bass as he said, "It's certainly one of the fastest we've ever been able to figure out a song's structure. Did you have a focus on composing and producing in the conservatory?"

Kagome stepped away from the keyboard, "Composing, yes. Producing, no, not really. I just played around a lot with my computer and keyboard before I got into the program. Composing though was definitely something I had an interest in."

"Really?" Shippo asked, "Does that mean that you've composed something for your big performance?"

Kagome nodded, "Yeah. I've composed the final piece of the performance. It'll be interesting to hear how it sounds in the hall, though. I've never heard music I wrote performed by a full orchestra in the hall before, and I'm excited to rehearse it."

"Think we can get an early preview?" Sango asked eagerly, "You've been keeping it a secret for months now, and I wanna hear it!"

Kagome blushed, laughing nervously, "I mean, kinda ruins the surprise, doesn't it? Aren't their rules about spoilers?"

"Please, Kagome? I'll take any excuse to hear your singing again," Shippo asked gleefully.

"Ditto," Miroku seconded.

Hesitant to play the piece again after spending weeks practicing it, Kagome was relieved when she heard Inuyasha chime in, "Come on, guys. Give her a break. All she probably does is practice."

"Aww, come off it! Don't be such a wet blanket, Inuyasha." Shippo chided playfully.

"Bite me," Inuyasha chirped back, "Besides, you'll hear it in two weeks anyways."

Sango sighed, "Uh, I guess you're right. What can I say? I'm just an overeager fan. Sorry, Kagome. I didn't think about how tedious it would be for you."

"Oh, no! Please, don't apologize!" Kagome replied sweetly, not wanting Sango to feel bad for asking, "But Inuyasha's kinda right. I've practiced that song so many times at this point, I feel like it's making me nauseous. I'd honestly rather play anything else."

"No worries! Let just have some fun then!" Shippo jumped in, hitting some keys on his board to start up the improve session again.

Kagome turned her head subtly over her shoulder toward Inuyasha, catching his golden eye quickly while the others were distracted and got pulled back into playing. She mouthed a silent, "Thank you," to him. He smiled genuinely and nodded shallowly.

After a while of playing and having some fun, the group decided to head out to grab some food, ramen becoming the overriding choice for their meal. As Inuyasha and Shippo practically inhaled their bowls, astonishing Kagome at how large their appetites were, Sango asked, "By the way, Kagome, have you decided on what you're going to do for your living arrangements after you graduate?

Kagome looked up from her own bowl, "Yeah, actually. I managed to get a temporary position with the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra lined up after graduation and it'll be enough money that I can live alone in the city for the next year or so."

"That's amazing! What kind of work would you be doing?" Miroku asked inquisitively, curious about what it meant to be a temp worker with a world-renowned symphony.

Setting down her spoon and taking hold of her glass of water, she explained, "I'd be transcribing and organizing the sheet music for the players after the composers finalize them. They usually have positions like that for new graduates who want to potentially get into music composition, so they can see the process first-hand."

"That's so cool!" Shippo commented as he finished his bowl of ramen before moving teasingly towards Inuyasha's sides, hoping he wouldn't notice if he slipped a few pieces. Though as he tried, a pair of chopsticks quickly coming down on the fox demon's hand, trapping his fingers with the wooden utensil, as Inuyasha practically growled, "Don't even try it, Shippo."

Kagome lightly giggled at the interaction. These guys really acted like they were siblings. It felt nice, having friends who were almost like an extension of a family.

"So, you didn't answer my question, Kagome," Sango continued, breaking Kagome from her thoughts.

"Huh?"

"What are you doing for living arrangements then after you graduate? All you said was that you had a job lined up, but have you found a place to move to yet? You'll be moving out just after the performances are finished, right?"

"Oh, right! I found a nice one-bedroom apartment just in Daikanyama," Kagome replied excitedly, "I can show you some photos if you want."

"Yes, please!" Sango accepted Kagome's phone, scrolling through the pictures of the apartment. It was definitely a nice space, and the two began to throw around ideas on how to decorate and organize it.

"Will you need any help moving in?" Sango asked as she gave Kagome back her phone.

"I mean, I figured I was just going to hire a moving company…"

"Nonsense! Why spend the money? We can help you out," Miroku interjected, offering their services to help her.

"Are you sure? I don't want you all to feel obligated to help. I can easily afford the movers," Kagome pressed. Though she loved the idea of not having to use movers, she didn't want them to feel like they had to help her.

"Miroku's right," Shippo agreed, "There's no sense in spending extra money when we're all willing and able."

"Really? That'd be amazing! Thanks, you guys!" Kagome cried happily, thankful to have such helpful friends.

"No worries! Besides, with Inuyasha's truck, it'll be a breeze!" Sango continued, as Inuyasha finished his bowl of ramen, setting it down, before picking up his sides, "Right, Inuyasha?"

"Sure thing," he stated plainly as he continued to eat his meal, his focus clearly lying more on the savory food than the current conversation, "Just let me know when and where."

Kagome smiled at that, "I really appreciate it. You guys don't know how grateful I am."

"It's no trouble at all, Kagome. Really," Sango said tenderly, reaching over and gently taking her best friend's hand for a soft but reassuring squeeze.

As the group finished their food and paid their bills, they said their goodbyes for the evening.

"Wanna ride back?" Inuyasha offered Kagome as the others left.

"You don't mind?" Kagome asked.

"Not a big deal. Like I said, it's on my way home anyway," Inuyasha replied.

Kagome blushed a little, "Uh, sure. Thanks."

The pair walked relatively quietly back to the studio where he'd left his truck parked, the familiar air of tension surrounding them again. Inuyasha had smelled the apprehension coming off of her earlier when the others had pressured her to play the performance piece, and he could smell it again now; a salty, almost sweat-tinged fragrance, from being nervous and hesitant. Was she uncomfortable around him?

Kagome was nervous, but only because she was debating whether or not to thank him properly. In a moment of bravery, she decided, and said, "Thank you… for what you said earlier."

Inuyasha's attention was immediately tuned in her direction as she spoke timidly. He left out a soft chuckle, "Don't mention it."

"No, really. I appreciate it," she continued, turning her head to look up at him, his gaze returning and mirroring the gesture, "As much as I appreciate the compliments, sometimes it can get…" she let out a sigh, "It can get a bit much when people just want you to perform all the time."

Inuyasha nodded, "Yeah. I imagine with someone who's as talented as you are, people just kinda always wanting you to show it off… It's probably exhausting."

Kagome laughed nervously, "I'm sorry, I must sound so egotistical. Like, who am I to think people want to hear my voice so much they constantly ask me to perform? How ungrateful am I…?" her voice trailed off at the end, almost saying under her breath.

"Not at all. You _are_ talented," Inuyasha responded quickly, catching Kagome off guard for a second, "But just because that's the case doesn't mean you're always in the mood to entertain others. They're not entitled to it. You're not a dancing monkey that performs on command."

Kagome's mouth parted slightly before smiling, realizing he understood how she felt.

Inuyasha could smell the apprehension in her scent lightening. He continued, "You don't have to make excuses. You can just tell them when you don't want to. Trust me, they respect you enough to listen."

Kagome nodded, "I know that. And I know they don't mean anything by it asking all the time. But I've always had a hard time saying no to people."

She could hear the smirk in his voice, "Bit of a people pleaser then, huh?"

She laughed lightly, "I guess so."

"Do you even enjoy performing?" Inuyasha asked.

Kagome thought about it for a moment, "Honestly… I don't even know. There is a certain satisfaction to it, about hearing everything come together. All the hard work and effort culminating into one amazing performance."

There was a beat of silence before Inuyasha encouraged her to continue, "But…?"

Kagome sighed, "But… sometimes I feel like I'd be more satisfied with just keeping it to myself. Sometimes… I don't always want to share it with the world. Somethings… are perfect when their private, and intimate. You know?"

She stared up at him, hoping any of what she'd just said made sense. But he did get it. He understood what she meant perfectly. Sometimes, you just want to keep your music for yourself.

"I do," he agreed, letting her know he understood, "Well, don't worry. I don't ask very much of others, so you won't have to worry about it from me," he replied jokingly.

She giggled at that, "Why's that?"

"Huh?"

"Why don't you ask very much of other people?" Kagome pressed lightly, using his words to expand on the question.

Inuyasha grew quiet for a moment, his tone somewhat more serious, "Because I learned a long time ago not to rely on others when you really need them. You just end up alone, one way or another, so why bother?"

What was he saying? Why was he being so blatant with her? He barely talked about this kind of stuff with the others, let alone a girl he'd barely known for a few weeks. But something about being around her. There was an ease to it. A familiarity. Feeling like… it had always been this way.

The tone in his voice gave Kagome pause, "I take it you're speaking from experience?"

Inuyasha chose not to reply directly to the question.

"That must be hard," she continued, "Feeling like you can't trust anyone… Do you feel that way with Sango and the others?"

"They're different," he explained," It's one thing to have professional relationships. It's another to trust someone."

His voice was world-weary and downtrodden. He'd clearly been through some stuff before. Kagome understood, "I get it."

"Do you?"

She nodded, "I think so. But I hope that someday, you do find someone you can trust."

Inuyasha looked back at her over his shoulder. Her voice was genuine… honest. It was soothing, to think she actually cared…

He tried to play it off, not revealing his true sentiment, "Whatever. Gotten this far alone."

Kagome smiled hearing the way he tried to dismiss the serious conversation they'd found their way into, yet again. She knew he was probably lying, about having gotten this far completely alone, but it wasn't her place to pry. The longer she'd spent around him, the more she realized that he was the type of person to hide behind a harsher exterior. It explained his attitude towards her when they first met, and how, when they got to these more sensitive topics, he would push it aside as if it didn't faze him. Clearly, it was how he'd survived for most of his life. She wondered what could have happened to him to have made him this way.

They soon deviated from the topic, as Inuyasha drove her back to her dorm.

"Will you be coming by the studio again this week?" Inuyasha asked as he drove.

"No," she answered honestly, "I'm going home to visit my family this weekend, and with only two weeks left, I really should focus on practicing. But we should definitely hang out after the performance, if you and the others are up for it?"

He nodded a confident smirk on his lips, "Sure thing. We'll play it by ear."

Kagome smiled. The more time she spent with this guy, the less tight her chest felt. There was an ease that slowly came from being around him. Like she could just really be herself. It felt… right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With this chapter, I have caught up to reposting what is on FF.net. I am currently writing the next few chapters, so I'm hoping to have the next chapter up in the next week or two.
> 
> in the meantime, I will be posted a one-shot smut fic in this universe titled "Birthday Surprise", so if you'd like some more content for this universe, stay tuned!
> 
> Thanks for reading, and please be sure to review, favorite, or follow if you like this fic!
> 
> Until Next Time…

**Author's Note:**

> Hahaha, what a place to leave off for the prologue!
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this prologue, as this will likely be my baby for the next little while. Definitely have it outlines for the next 5-6 chapters, and ideas for later down the road and ending, so stay tuned!
> 
> If you guys want more of this fic, please be sure to leave a review, or follow/favorite the story, as it's a great indicator/motivator for me to keep writing.
> 
> I can't wait to hear your thoughts!
> 
> Until Next Time…


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